Confessions
by squeekness
Summary: Logan and Gambit check out Sabretooth's safehouse and find a surprise. Part 19 of my Kimble series.
1. Chapter 1

Summary : Logan and Remy check out Sabretooth's safehouse and find a surprise. Part 19 of my Kimble series.

Notes : Rated M for language, violence, and sexual situations.

AU but only because I chose to change a few things in my dear friends' histories for simplification, nothing drastic so please forgive. I've been working on this story for years so I do ask that you don't use any of my non-Marvel universe characters without my permission. I love my Siskans as I do my children.

Art for Three of Me, Secrets, and Truths has been uploaded to my website of anyone is interested in looking at it.

Still with me? I didn't scare all of you away? Hee! That's good. SQ

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(One)

Logan stepped out of the Jeep and watched as Remy slid out of the driver's seat and looked up at the sky. Light flakes of snow were still falling, lit by small lights on the side of the building. The apartment complex was very tall and located just where Kimble had hinted it might be. It was twenty minutes since Kimble had called, they had made good time in getting here in spite of the snow.

"This's Porter's Point," Logan explained. " 'S the only complex 'round here that has more'n forty-six floors and faces the harbor. I also know it just happens to have an old CIA safehouse in it. Let's check it out."

Remy nodded and let Wolverine do his thing. His teammate walked slowly up to the front of the complex, sniffing softly. It would seem to an ordinary person that he might have a cold with the sniffles, but what Logan was taking in was vast amounts of sensory information. Just that quick sniff told him that Creed had been by here not long ago and was upset about something. There was an edge of distress to his scent. He saw the tracks in the snow. Sure, this was a big city, but it was very late and these marks were fresh. He approached the doorman.

"Goin' up ta forty-six."

"It's late," the man countered, eyeing him suspiciously. He shouldn't have been surprised, really. There had been a number of scruffy looking people going that way lately. "Besides, Mister Benjamin left with his men twenty minutes ago."

_No kidding, _Logan thought to himself. He knew that their chances of intercepting Sabretooth had been nil, but this was the closest they had come to their quarry since the hunt began. He knew that Creed had left in quite the hurry and he wanted to get up there in the worst way, no telling what Sabretooth might have left behind in the rush to evacuate.

"Bien entendu," Remy said courteously, extending his hand to the doorman. It held a neatly folded hundred dollar bill. "De Monsieur, 'e ask us to wait dere for 'im, s'il vous plait."

Logan had to suppress a smile. Remy was so smooth. He had acted quickly, laying on the charm and giving the man a winning smile. Logan wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a flicker in the doorman's eyes when he took the money. It seemed he looked Remy over like he was something good to eat. "But of course," the man replied. "Let me show you in."

"Dat's all right, mon ami. We know de way."

"Very good, sir," he bowed politely and opened the door for them.

"Merci. 'Night, y'all," Remy replied as he passed, giving out another teasing smile.

They walked a few paces and Logan chuckled softly. "Ever notice you lay on the French real thick when yer after something?"

"It's de language of love," Remy replied flirtatiously. "You get anyt'ing from dat sniffer of yours?"

"Yeah, this is definitely the place. But he's gone for sure."

Remy nodded solemnly, accepting this, and Logan walked slowly to where a set of elevators were located. He paced casually until the car he wanted came down, ignoring one that came first. He wanted the one Creed had ridden in. They stepped inside and Logan closed his eyes while Remy pressed the button for forty-six. Wolverine worked the car, mumbling softly. "Five guys...one of 'em's a girl. Chanel and plastic...plasma girl. Got somebody who don't wanna go, fear's real strong. Creed's pissed. Pissed and...upset. Not just angry. Hurt -- that's funny, he never cares 'bout anything -- guns and some plastic explosive..." He sniffed again. "Guns and plastique for sure. Best be careful, place might be booby trapped."

The car came to the desired floor and they stepped out carefully. The hallway was empty. Logan made his way carefully, ready for anything, but paused when Remy tapped his shoulder at the door to the apartment. He stepped back and let Remy take over.

Gambit took a roll of cloth from his large coat pocket and laid out his tools. He tested the lock on the door and took out a ring of Master Keys. One slid right in and the door opened. "Too easy, homme."

"Keep back," Wolverine ordered and advanced carefully. He stepped in and the alarm beeped, demanding a code. Remy was there. The panel took a card and he used one to swipe it, punching in a maintenance number used by the company that made the panels. The alarm went on stand by, waiting for the next code, and Remy used a small battery powered screwdriver to quickly work the face plate off. His fingers were swift and sure. He thumbed through the multi-colored wires without thinking, so practiced was he. He snipped the one he wanted and gave Logan a quick thumbs up.

Wolverine shook his head. "Yer too cool, man."

"Like riding a bike, patron."

Logan snickered and kept moving. They had entered almost silently and spoke in whispers, they had no idea if any of Creed's men were left behind. Logan stopped their progress a couple of times to disarm a couple of minor booby traps, but for the most part they had no trouble.

This safehouse was one Logan had been in before long ago as part of a government mission. It was in the shape of a U – the outer quarters – with a square penthouse to the rear. They were in the U part now, the area where Sabretooth most likely kept his men.

It was also where he kept his prisoners, it seemed. They found the holding cells, the door to that area was a heavy one, built for security, but left wide open in their haste to leave. Just outside that open door, there was some recent damage to the wall --- the sheet rock was smashed, leaving crumbs still on the carpet, and a depression was in the shape of someone's head. The smell of Creed's hurt and rage was very strong here.

Remy had entered the holding area and now stood in front of one of the cells, a strange expression on his face. These cells were well made, he could see the expensive inhibitor screens and control panels. Anyone trapped in here wasn't going to get out easily. Kimble had just been here, Remy reasoned, he had to have been a prisoner. It seemed like he was always so close to recovering his wayward Siskan, but forever a step behind. Gambit wondered just what it was going to take to bring Kimble home again.

Logan moved in behind him, his senses going into overdrive. He could smell Leon all over the other cell and realized that Leon had been taken along with Kimble from Cameron's safehouse, a food supply for Kimble no doubt. His was the scent in the elevator of the reluctant tag along. There was the scent of old blood, but nothing alarming here, not just yet.

They left the holding area and moved on to some small rooms where the gang was quartered. There wasn't as much room for privacy in this safehouse, there were two rooms with four bunks each and a large closet to share. Sabretooth had a decent sized crew, all the beds looked used. The guys had clearly left in a rush -- many items had been left behind, the beds rumpled and unmade, the closet open and junk strewed everywhere -- and Remy immediately went to work, sifting through the remains. There was a lot left behind, but not many personal items that could be traced, mostly clothes and small weapons with the serial numbers removed. Remy was a bit surprised at their quality, Creed's men must be pretty well supplied if they could afford to leave these nice handguns behind.

Logan did a quick search himself, but Gambit was a thief, this was his territory. Logan left him to it, choosing instead to check out a small kitchen in the next room. The pantry was small and not filled with much, mostly beer and junk food. Lots of take out boxes and candy wrappers. One quick sniff did tell him something, though. There was blood here, old blood. He opened some of the lower cabinets and growled softly. He found a small flashlight and saw that there was blood residue on the inside shelf. Someone had been done to death in this room and the cleaner not as adept as he should have been. The blood was old, maybe a couple of months. For it to have made its way in here, there must have been quite the mess.

Gambit was discovering things, too. He had left the clothes behind and moved on. It had taken a few minutes but he been a careful investigator, sliding his hands around some of the furniture, looking for secret caches and hidden openings. He smiled when he found a small tape attached to the back of a small dresser with duct tape. It was the kind of tape that went into a modern cam-corder and was labeled "Creed's Whore". If it had been hidden, there had to be something of value on it.

"Whatcha got?" Logan asked from just behind him. He had finished with the kitchen and was ready to move on.

"Don't know. Some kinda tape."

"Good. Bring it," Wolverine ordered as if he actually needed to say the words. They kept searching, but didn't come up with anything else of value.

Moving on, they found the door for Creed's private penthouse and once again, Gambit got them past the keypad with ease.

They spread out, moving quickly through the rooms. Logan was looking around, but his mind was humming. This was where Creed had stayed, his half brother he now knew. Logan hadn't seen the man in a long time and had never spent any time in his personal quarters, he really knew nothing of Creed's private life at all. Looking around, he wondered just how well he knew him. Creed had always struck him as a slob, but this place was sparkling clean.

He wandered into the kitchen, it was large and well stocked, the opposite of the small one he'd investigated earlier. Expensive pots and pans hung neatly on hooks and everything was modern and clean. He was startled when he saw a hand written note attached to the door of the refrigerator with a magnet. It was a supply list and Kimble had made it, Logan immediately recognized his extraordinary handwriting. It was a small thing, but it spoke volumes. Kimble was not being kept in the holding cells as they had thought, he'd been living here. He was able to move about freely ---- _He used the phone_ — and was a part of the household to some degree. He was in charge of who wanted what for groceries it seemed. Logan also knew Kimble was tidy, at least he had been on the ship. He also liked to take care of things. Was Kimble now some kind of servant? Knowing how Kimble had cared for Fallen, it really wasn't that much of a surprise, other than the fact that Kimble was supposedly a prisoner.

Out of curiosity, Logan opened the 'fridge and peered inside. No leftovers, but lots of beer. It was Canadian and the same brand he drank. He couldn't stop himself from taking one and cracking it open. He worked while he drank, his eyes and nose never ceasing their careful investigations. The pantry was full of food, all different kinds. He was surprised to see some foreign items in there. Creed liked his food spicy.

He moved on to the livingroom, his feet silent on the thick luxurious carpet. He was again surprised by some very nice pieces of art hanging there, but figured this place might have been maintained by someone else for Creed. He found a stereo and a stack of CDs. Most of them were soft classical music, stuff he himself had grown to like over the years. Sometimes, it was the only thing that calmed him. He never would have pegged Creed as being cultured, he was too much the beast, too much the Sabretooth.

"Logan."

He turned and followed Gambit's voice. The thief was in Creed's bedroom. This room was also well kept and Logan was again struck by the luxury he saw. He didn't think Creed gave a shit about where he stayed but clearly he had been wrong. The bed was a huge four poster and covered with expensive bed clothes. The comforters were thick and the sheets silk. They would feel smooth and cool against his skin, he knew this. Something he would have chosen for himself if he didn't sleep so poorly and slash up everything around him. The carpet was rich and dark, immaculate as if someone cleaned in here every day. There was a large slider that looked out onto a balcony and Logan was eerily reminded of his own room. The door was slightly cracked, just as his own was.

Gambit was on the bed, his lips tight in a scowl. He held a large dog collar in his hand, it was black leather with sheep skin lining the inside of it. It had also been torn, it had a sharp jagged cut right through it. Remy was running his hands over the small metal studs on the outside of it while he turned it slowly and thoughtfully through his fingers.

"You smell a dog 'ere, homme?"

"No," Logan replied softly, having an idea of what Gambit was upset about. There was a small dog's bed on the floor in front of the window. A blanket was over it, not a thing one would do for a dog. There was no scent of a dog or any animals here at all, it hadn't been used for that purpose. Next to Remy on the bed was a small pile of leather clothing cut way too small for Creed to use. He raised a shirt for Logan's inspection. Wolverine took it and sniffed at it. It smelled of the house and of Creed's rough loving, but not of the wearer. It had a flap on the back with velcro, similar to the shirts Warren had specially made to get around his wings. "Got no scent. I think it's Kimble's."

Remy said nothing more, but rose and walked out. He was angry, Logan could smell it, but there was nothing to be done for it now. Logan wanted to explore. He opened some of the drawers in the dresser, but found only clothes. All of them were in good shape, as were his own. Creed's life was in constant upheaval, everything was temporary or disposable. He peeked into the bathroom and looked over the toiletries, not sure what he was really doing. The shampoos and soaps were ordinary, but the cologne was one he knew well, he'd smelled it on Creed many times. He found a brush and saw several long blonde hairs there. He plucked them free and held them in his hand, just staring at them and wondering why he felt so lost. He shouldn't care, but with his memories now restored, he had this strong desire to connect to the man who had lived here. There was much about his half brother he wanted to know.

He wandered away and saw another bedroom, this one for a woman. It was colored in lavender and had a nice smell to it. Chanel and plastic, the plasma girl. Again, not everything was taken. He opened a drawer and found a small stack of Poleroids. He smiled when he saw Kimble there, the Siskan was lounging on her bed, naked and well pleased. A smile teased the corners of Kimble's mouth as he slept. He was wearing the dog collar, a long gold leash was attached to it and dangled to the floor. It would have been creepy if it weren't for that smile. Kimble seemed happy enough. Another showed Kimble crouched down and submissive, but trying to hide a smile. His eyes were merry. But all was not well, not all of the time. Another showed him looking out of the window in her room, his face tired and sad. His cheeks looked wet. Such a strange combination of emotions shown there in the photos. Logan slipped them into his pocket to be looked over in more detail later.

Wolverine was confused at first as to why Kimble was spending time with this woman if Creed was supposedly his Master. He remembered then that Kimble was now using the plasma to power up. Looks like Kimble was having the best of both worlds, a male Master and female to feed him. No wonder he had told Remy he was happy here.

He rummaged around some more and discovered a small check book with carbon receipts left inside. That and a credit card that had fallen into a crack of the dresser drawer. He grabbed that with a grin, knowing Seth would be all over it.

He was called for again and followed Remy's voice. He found his companion seated on the desk in Creed's office. He had one of the drawers open and was going through some papers. "Look like 'e been a busy boy."

Logan came closer. There were some airline ticket stubs and some outlines for some old snatch and grab jobs that had been done. SHIELD might want to take a look at those.

"Anything else?"

"Non. But he did leave dis."

Logan smiled. Remy had a small leather bag with some diamonds dumped out. It sat next to a stack of foreign currency, all different denominations. Creed's personal stash? Next to it was a box that had some small vials of drugs. Looked like that was one habit Creed hadn't given up. He sniffed at it, heroin and coke and a small baggie of pot. _As if Creed needed anything to crank him up even more_, Logan couldn't help but think.

Logan poked around some more and found the machine Sabretooth used to record his phone calls. He grabbed some of the tapes he found, maybe they would find something there.

They both startled when Gambit's cell phone abruptly rang. Remy snatched at it quickly, unable to contain his excitement. He wanted it to be Kimble, but of course it wasn't. It was still good news. "Hey, there, Louisiana," Kennedy greeted.

"What you got fo' me, eh?"

"Must be your birthday. I got Leon."

"Leon?"

"Yeah. You know, Cameron's plasma boy. Funny thing, he's got a restraining collar on he's trying to hide. Wanna help me find out where he got it?"


	2. Chapter 2

(Two)

Leon sat on his bar stool, unhappy. He was quite drunk and not quite recovered from his ordeal. He had made some frantic calls, but had received no help. He learned his boss, Cameron Bishop, had been arrested and taken away, along with most of the Freedom Kings. He was on his own with only the clothes and money Sabretooth had given him. Fortunately, it was a lot, his abductor had been generous. He had gone into this sleazy bar, hoping for anonymity and a steady oblivion in drink. This was an all hours bar that served mutants only, he had nowhere else to go. He looked up as a shadow passed over his shoulder and turned to see Logan grinning down at him. "Hey, there, Bunkie."

Leon squeaked in fear and tried to rise. Logan just shoved him back into his seat, sitting next to him. Gambit slid into the seat on his other side, sealing off his escape. A quick peek over his shoulder revealed Kennedy slouched over by the door. Damn.

"What do you losers want?" Leon hissed, trying to sound braver than he felt.

"Nice necklace dere, homme. You get dat at Macy's?"

"Fuck you."

"Now that's not too nice," Wolverine said, rudely taking Leon's beer and finishing it for him. He snapped his fingers at the bartender, wanting another. "We just want to chat."

"Wh-what about?"

"Tell us 'bout Kimble. Where's he at?"

"I don't know. Creed took him."

"You wasn't invited? How rude," Remy teased, cocking his head in amusement. He was enjoying Leon's discomfort immensely, it appealed to the predator in him. He was all too ready to punish anyone connected with Kimble's swift decline.

"Look, the guy just dumped me, okay? I don't know anything."

"I'm not convinced about that," Wolverine replied, nodding his head at the bartender who came with a fresh beer and dropped a bill on the counter. "Let's start at the beginning. Tell us what happened when Kimble come ta be with ya. Start at Chester's."

"I ain't got time."

Logan just growled. "We can do this here or we can do this at Fury's. Least if ya make me happy I'll let ya walk right outta here. Fury's lookin' ta fry yer ass. What ya wanna do?"

Leon considered his options. It was a very short list. He started out slow, speaking softly. He explained about Kimble being melted outside of Chester's and how after he had recovered, Kimble began talking in these screwed up voices. He glossed over the training Kimble had received, but was sure to point out what a poor student he'd been. It was obvious Leon despised his new teammate and his sexual nature, he grumbled a bit about the orange room, keeping his eyes down.

Remy kept quiet, but his anger was simmering. Always with Kimble this intolerance. No one ever tried to understand. Perhaps Gail did, it was coming through how Kimble had cared for her. It backed up the things that Jean had told him. Jean had mind scanned the girl that last night and had been quick to take Remy aside and reveal some of what she'd seen, wanting Remy to be comforted by knowing that Kimble had touched someone there in a positive way. It was a doomed relationship, however.

Leon spoke next of the night Sabretooth came and how Gail's death had changed Kimble. Lakotashay was out and in charge after that. It seemed as though Leon wasn't given full details, he didn't know that there had been a fight between Wolverine and Kimble, he thought Kimble's breakdown was because of Gail. Logan didn't bother to correct him.

Leon spoke of the Quitter, how she had been ganged up on by Zander and Kyle and forced through the training. He didn't mention the cats and since Remy seemed to have forgotten his bringing it up at the bank, didn't refresh his recall by repeating it. He did say she had gotten a taste for killing, he spoke of the two men she had murdered and how Cameron hadn't been upset by it. He just made her clean up the mess and it was forgotten.

Remy shuddered. If he'd thought the security guard incident had been the worst of Kimble's actions it seemed he'd been sadly mistaken. The guard could arguably be an act of defense, but those men could not. 'Shay had done that to make Cameron kill her, it hadn't worked. It reminded Gambit of Zander's vicious revenge against Logan, Zander and 'Shay were more than capable of the atrocities Anya had predicted. The Lover would never have done these things, he knew it. There was too much innocent kindness there in Kimble, something the Quitter and the Punisher clearly lacked. Remy had already begun to separate the three personalities in his mind without realizing it, thinking of them as three individual people.

"What happened when Creed came ta pick Kimble up in Baltimore?" Wolverine asked, pressing on. He was getting a lot of information and had a pad out now, scribbling notes to keep track of it all.

Leon went over the battle at Cameron's safehouse and Logan's eyes widened a little when Zander's sword fight with Seamus was described. Gambit had been the only X-man to witness Zander's power of conjuring the sword out of nowhere and then his ability to power it with plasma. Channeling, Joshua had called it. It was the thing the albino had been pestering Zander to learn all along. Logan glanced up at Remy who just shrugged sheepishly. _You wouldn't have believed me if I'd told you_, his eyes replied. Logan growled impatiently, never happy when he wasn't in the know. Leon went on.

The sword story wasn't as fantastic as what he spoke of next. He recounted Kimble's bizarre resurrection as 'Shay seemed to let him come out and how the Lover had orally serviced the notorious Victor Creed. Leon did say that Kimble was pressured by himself being a hostage, but the overtone was that Kimble would have done it anyway, he was such a sick boy. He had asked for it actually, calling Creed on on his own. Creed didn't have to twist his arm around or anything, Kimble was right there and ready in Leon's perception of things. The fucking was something different, though. It had been savage. He described the rape and then how it all changed like magic. One second Kimble was bawling like a baby and then he was digging it and shooting cum everywhere.

"Excuse me?" Wolverine complained. "Wanna run that by me again?"

"Yeah, he was all cryin' at first. It musta been some kind of act 'cause then he was shakin' and gettin' into it. He and Creed shot off at the same time like a coupla sicko queers and then they were all happy. You shoulda seen the way Kimble was looking at Saby, like he was a god or something. It was sickening. And Creed, well he was like on drugs or something because he was all high and talking funny. I thought he was gonna suck face with Kimble, he was so stoned, and saying how he couldn't wait to screw him again. I wanted to puke," Leon said, unable to hide his disgust. "Fucking faggot queer boys."

"De empathy," Remy said softly, trying to ignore the last comment to speak with his teammate. "He done it to stop Saby from 'urtin' 'im so bad. Has to be."

Wolverine pinned Leon with his eyes, working the mess he'd just been given. He wasn't sure what Remy was saying and wanted more details.

Gambit beat him to it. His mind was working fast and had picked up on something not expressly said. "Lemmie get dis straight, buddy. Creed 'ad you in 'is sights and Kimble stopped it, is dat how it happened?"

Leon squirmed. He was grateful in his way for Kimble's save, but was still disgusted at how Kimble had whored for Sabretooth long after it was required. "Kim still wanted it. He loved it. He finished," Leon explained, unable to hide his disgust.

Logan stepped back in, regaining control of the conversation. He could see Remy was furious. "He 'finished?' What does that mean?"

"He came, all right? If he hadn't liked it he wouldn't have finished."

"He sacrificed himself to save yer ass and this is how you thank him?"

"Some sacrifice!" Leon snarled, growing red in the face. "He liked it!"

Remy's hands began to twitch as he tried to restrain himself from lashing out at Leon in violence. It angered him to hear Kimble spoken of that way.

Logan knew it and that it was time to move on. He gave Leon a shove. "So what then?"

"Oh then they were like two faggots in love," Leon sneered. "I got dragged into the holding cells, got beaten up all the time. But that wasn't the worst of it. Creed and all of his guys kept coming in to see Kimble and he would do them just like the whore he was. I got stuck listening to all that grunting and fucking and cock sucking. I wanted to puke every time."

Remy startled a little at Leon's phrasing. The tape he'd found, it had been labeled "Creed's Whore". Did he dare watch it now? He had no desire to watch a Kimble porno tape. He wasn't sure what to make of Leon's tale of Kimble servicing Creed's men. It had to be an exaggeration or some kind of ruse on Kimble's part, it was all his heart could believe.

"They all have a good time?" Logan asked, trying to keep his tone indifferent, he was no happier than Remy but wanted facts. He had finished his beer and ordered more. This time whiskey was coming for Gambit. The thief wasn't supposed to be drinking, but considering the subject matter, Logan wasn't going to stop him.

"Seemed that way."

"But?" Remy snapped, sensing something in Leon's voice.

"Well, there was this one time Creed went out of town. He left four of his men behind and they weren't playing so nice. They dragged Kim out and were fucking him, but they weren't happy. They kept asking him for something called the 'glow' but I didn't understand what it meant."

Logan shuddered, he couldn't help it. A while ago, not long after Gambit first joined the X-men, they had an unexpected surprise. Creed had come to the Mansion, distraught and at his wits end. He came there looking for the Professor. Creed had learned that certain telepaths could give him the "glow" not unlike Kimble's empathic backwash. It was nowhere near as potent or as long lasting. He had been using and abusing one such telepath until her unfortunate demise. He couldn't find a replacement and so came to Charles looking for a cure. The Professor agreed, believing anything was worth it to get the killer off the streets. Sabretooth stayed for a while, but all of Charles' efforts failed. The fact was, Creed was very ill mentally and nothing was ever going to fix that. In a fit of rage, Creed broke out and nearly slaughtered Psylocke, a telepath there that was trying to help him. Sabretooth took his rage and melted away into the night, ever to remain the monster.

"Kimble give them what they asked for?" Logan asked, already dreading the answer.

"No. Or at least I don't think so because they got real mad and messed with him something awful."

"What you mean?" Remy asked, his hands clenching.

"I don't want to talk about it," Leon replied, displaying some emotion for the first time. It had been horrible to watch, more than he could cope with. He hated Kimble, sure, but he wouldn't have wished that on anybody. Kimble had been beaten, raped, covered in shit. He shuddered and closed his eyes against tears that sprang out of nowhere.

"What happened then?" Logan asked, plowing on.

"Saby came home and saw what they'd done. He killed them. I heard he ripped one up bad in the kitchen. That was weeks ago. He took Kimble up to the house after that and I didn't see him again until tonight."

"Tell us 'bout dat," Remy asked, not the least bit sympathetic. He was growing very angry now and the whiskey wasn't helping. He had an idea Kimble's life had been rough with Creed, but this was more than he had expected. "What 'appened tonight?"

"You should know, he called you," Leon snapped irritably.

Remy snatched at him, quick as a wink, and smashed his head down against the counter. Logan jumped back instinctively, beer and glass went flying everywhere. He was amazed at Remy's violence and the speed of it, it had seemingly come out of nowhere. Yeah, Remy was upset but never had Logan seen Gambit lose it on a job, not like this. Clearly his teammate was just a wee bit upset. "Easy, fellas," he said, giving the bartender a quick nod. They were attracting attention now.

Leon groaned. He was dazed and bleeding a little now from the blow. He felt Wolverine give Remy a push back and tried to catch his breath. "What was that for?" he wheezed in pain.

"Fo' your smart little mouth, rat boy! Comprenez-vous!"

"Back off!" Logan repeated. His eyes glared at Remy. "Sit!"

Gambit sat back, but his face was flushed and his red eyes gleamed. He was furious and looking for a target. He smoothed out his jacket and tossed back the shot he had waiting. He snapped his fingers at the bartender, but the man shook his head. Remy scowled and Logan kicked him, hard. "Quit it!"

Remy put his head down and was quiet. He couldn't hope to explain his actions. How could he tell Wolverine that Leon's vibrations of hate and loathing for Kimble had been coming off of him like a poison, choking him. He knew Leon wasn't telling all of it, that there had been something ugly between them, something Leon was hiding. Leon liked 'Shay and the Quitter had been cruel. It stood to reason that Leon had abused her or inspired her to abuse others. The thought made him angry. He was trying hard to stay in control and the whiskey had been a mistake.

"Tell us about what happened tonight," Logan repeated. He was listening as Leon spoke, but started picking up the mess Remy had made. It appeased the bartender and they were left alone. This was a rough place and fights not uncommon, as long as they settled down, they wouldn't get booted out of here.

Leon patted a napkin to the small cut on his forehead as he explained how things had been quieter after Kimble had been moved to the penthouse. He still heard stories about how Kimble was some kind of slave and having a grand time over it. Things had certainly improved for the pilot.

Remy gritted his teeth, a noise Logan could hear. Leon's body spoke of how he had thought that perhaps somehow Kimble had precipitated his savage beating to get moved to the penthouse. He had benefitted from it surely and Leon was jealous. The holding cells were small and he was constantly harassed by Creed's men once Kimble was gone. Gambit's control was slipping again, but another warning glance from Logan kept him in his seat.

Wolverine was getting the idea that Remy was picking up more from Leon than just his words. Logan was not without his own resources. He didn't have the empathy as Remy seemed to possess now, but his nose told him much of the same things. Leon was hiding things, he was being evasive. The difference here was that Logan wasn't personally involved. He had enough distance from Kimble not to get enraged. He could keep the anger down. He would deal with it later.

Leon went on to explain that Sabretooth always beat Kimble. That was how the sex was, he'd beat Kimble down and then they'd fuck like nothing else. Well, the beating Kimble got this night was on a whole other scale. Kimble had been seriously broken, Leon had never heard anyone wheeze like that. The pilot was smashed into the wall, reminding Logan of the damage he'd seen there. Leon went on. Kimble couldn't breathe. It was a frightening, sucking sound, like dying people make. Mary came and fixed him up, but not after Creed had made him suffer with it awhile.

Remy closed his eyes and turned away. He was in agony over Kimble's life, the pilot claimed he'd been happy but Remy just didn't understand how that could be possible. He was shaking badly and had serious doubts about his own crumbling mental state. He had to get out of here before he killed someone. He got up without speaking and walked off to the men's room, slamming the door behind him. Kennedy came from the door and took his place on the bar stool, saying nothing.

"That's all, he just beat him up?" Wolverine continued. He appeared unconcerned about Remy's departure, but was merely trying to get this done. At least the Cajun had the sense to back off this time.

"Yeah. They all packed up and then Mary came and fixed him. Creed was lookin' at him all funny like, stupid faggot --" Leon yelped suddenly when Logan briskly reached down and grabbed his crotch, squeezing Leon's balls in a not so gentle embrace.

"You use that word again, son? Yer gonna be real sorry, understand?"

Leon wheezed painfully, tears springing from his eyes. "S-sorry..."

Logan released him and Leon fell forward, gasping. _Jeez, were all of these X-guys queers or what?_ He could see Remy was upset, but he had pegged that Frenchie as a swish from the onset. He had offered himself to Kimble in the bank, Leon didn't need an understanding of Siskan to know that had happened. The eager look on Kimble's face had been enough. Plus, Remy's involvement with Kimble was the only explanation for his hostile response to the story of the pilot's abuse. That and all Frenchies were queer, they all came off that way. But he couldn't understand why Wolverine was all pissed off. Maybe he and the Frenchie had a thing as well.

Logan seemed to sense his thoughts and smiled an evil, twisted grin full of malice. "Somethin' on yer mind, precious?"

"N-no, sir," Leon managed, not wanting any more pain.

"Finish up, then. Careful now."

Leon continued, but didn't have much more to offer. Creed and his men pulled out, taking the limo and a small truck that Leon hadn't seen before. Leon said how Creed was all quiet in the car, seeming more hurt and sad than angry. He dragged Leon outside and dumped him, giving him some money and tossing him away like garbage. He watched Creed drive off with Kimble in the car and then he came here, not quite sure what to do next.

Logan sat back and digested all that he was told. He had taken a lot of notes. He wasn't sure why he had bothered, but heck, maybe Karen could make something out of this. "Keep him here," he said to Kennedy and went to the men's room, looking for Remy. Another man walked out as he came in, keeping his eyes down. It was enough to make Logan suspicious, that and the reek of narcotics. He found Remy in the far corner, smoking a cigarette. The smoke detector had been disabled long ago and the air was thick with smoke, not all of it from cigarettes.

"Feel better?" Logan snapped, unhappy.

Remy's eyes were small and glassy now. He'd come in here to cool off and had been fortunate to find more in here than just some cold water to splash on his face. The guy who'd walked out was a drug dealer and Remy had a pocket full of cash. He'd shared a nice long bone with the guy while Logan had interrogated Leon further, and was now quite high, his anger dissipated. Just his luck, the dealer had laced it with hashish, Remy was feeling nice and mellow. He had found a temporary release from his fury. "Sure, homme. We leavin' now?"

"Yeah. What ya wanna do with the pimple?"

Remy just grinned, his red and black eyes full of malice.

"Besides that."

"Could care less."

"That collar ain't comin' off without help."

Remy nodded and walked out, his stride smooth and natural. He was high as a kite, but loose and easy. He wasn't trashed. He said nothing, but grabbed Leon roughly by the scruff as he passed by and dragged him outside without preamble, leaving one of the others to pay the tab. He shoved Leon into the alley and up against the wall. He tugged on the restraining collar. "You sit tight dere, cher. Don't wanna upset me. Might make a mistake, bien?" Remy said, his grin all evil intent.

Leon nodded, trembling in fear. The collar was top notch and sure to be booby trapped. Logan couldn't just cut it off, it would explode, taking his head off. It would have to be picked. Logan and Kennedy weren't long in coming and they watched as Remy skillfully worked the lock and freed their guest. It was still dark even though the sun was just starting to rise. Remy gripped a tiny Maglite in his mouth, both hands holding picks with an easy familiarity. In spite of being quite high, or perhaps because of it, Remy's hands were calm and fast. He did the job quickly then gave Leon a shove and a kick in the ass, sending him scurrying. "Y'all don't come back now, ya hear? Gambit see yo' ass again, dere ain't gonna be nuthin' left of you to find, comprenez!"

Leon fled.

Gambit didn't say anything else, but turned and walked back to his Jeep. He didn't bother with the driver's seat, he knew Logan would put up a fuss and he didn't want an argument to spoil his high. Logan spoke softly with Kennedy, thanking him and then returned to the Jeep as well. He started up the car and sat there a minute, just looking at Remy.

The thief had closed his eyes and was the picture of calm. He opened one eye and quirked an eyebrow at him. "We goin' 'ome or you got sumptin' else ya wanna do?"

"It's almost five. How about a coffee and a steak? Harry's is open and the food's much better than this place."

"Sure," Remy replied, rubbing his stomach a little. It was sore from the booze and the smoke, he could use a little food.

Logan put the Jeep in gear and drove off. He smiled a little when he saw Remy's head go back and the kid relaxed. If he drove long enough, he knew the thief would be out like a light. It had been a long night, but they weren't finished yet. Now more than ever, Logan wanted to watch the tape Remy had found. It would be great if there was something on there they could use. All other tracking methods would take a while. He had a feeling they were running out of time if they wanted to bring Kimble home intact.


	3. Chapter 3

(Three)

Not long after Leon got booted in the ass from an irritated Cajun thief, Creed grunted in his sleep and abruptly woke. He'd fallen asleep in the hotel chair with the TV on and his neck was sore. Still, he didn't move. He'd been awakened by voices. Someone was here. He cracked open an eye and breathed in a deep, quiet breath through his nose. He could distinctly hear three voices, but he couldn't smell anyone here besides himself. The bed next to him was empty. Kimble was in the bathroom and muttering softly. Creed relaxed a little, it was just his strange broken toy babbling away with itself.

"I cain't believe ya let him do that ta us!" Zander hissed.

"Wuzn't it great?" Lakotashay chirped happily. "I told Kimble the sex would be good. Wuzn't it, Lover boy?"

Kimble just sobbed.

Zander wasn't finished. "You two are so sick ya make me wanna puke! I thought it wuz bad enough that Kimble wuz all in love with that stupid Cajun pretty boy, now ya got us takin' licks like one of Valentin's lackeys! At least Remy never hit us!"

Creed squirmed in chair just a little as he felt a tightening in his chest. Victor Creed, let me introduce you to something new --- guilt and remorse...and jealousy.

"H-he don' means it," Kimble sobbed. "It's just sumpthin' he does. H-he don' means it..."

"Oh, like all them times Valentin beat up yer Fallen? You've yelled at her fer takin' less! Why should you? You kin takes this guy easy. It'll be jus' like that time ya took down Wolverine in the Danger Room. Spike his ass an' leave!"

"I cain't...he loves me, I knows it."

"Uh, huh. Right. You don' know what real love is, not no more. This freak only wants the backwash, Remy loved us fer real. He never hurt us like this. He took us dancin', gave us chocolate, gave us Raul. That's what love is, not this sick shit."

Creed sat up in his chair and rested his elbows on his knees with his head down. He recognized all three voices but hadn't been properly introduced to everyone. He knew the girl, she was the one who had spoken to him directly when Kimble was first taken from Kyle. He thought her name was 'Shay. Yes, that's what Kimble had called her the day he confessed he was insane. She seemed kind of mean in Creed's opinion, she was always picking on Kimble. The rough gravelly guy concerned him, though. Victor couldn't remember this one's name. This guy was angry and hurt, always something dangerous.

"Remy wouldn't lay with us," 'Shay said in answer to Zander's complaints. "He thinks it's bad, the Master don't."

"And?" Zander snapped sarcastically. He could care less.

"Kimble needs the luvin'."

"What about you? What's yer feeble excuse?"

"I likes the pain. I hope he does it ta us again."

"Nnooo!" Kimble wailed sharply and Creed heard him go down to his knees and bump into the wall as he retreated. "I cain't! I cain't do that again...It wuz so bad...Oh, God!" Kimble's voice trailed off into wracking sobs as he began to bawl with more enthusiasm. "I won' go near a phone... I promise... never...no phone...no Remy...Oh, God, I'm so sorry! Uhhnn..." Kimble's voice trailed off into incoherent sobs, his pain and fear all too real.

From inside, a rattle of chains and another soft whisper in Siskan, **_We done a bad thing..._**

This time Kimble heard it and wailed again, sobbing even more loudly, mourning the loss of his sanity.Kimble had grown to love Creed's rough love, Lakotashay's fondness for pain and suffering spilling over and corrupting him. What he had experienced just a few hours ago was nothing like that. That had been no game of love, not play as Kimble had come to know it. That was brutal and cruel, more than he could possibly take. He had woken prematurely from Mary's plasma rush, Zander's restless fury driving him mad. How dare the Master beat him like that? He had explained what he had done, but Creed hadn't listened. He hadn't wanted to. Kimble bawled, overcome with hate and self loathing. He had brought this on himself by letting Zander manipulate him like a fool, he had deserved it, but never wanted to feel that ever again.

Creed stood up and slowly walked over to the bathroom, completely silent in spite of his weight. He was a predator, a supreme hunter, but now all he felt was a sharp stabbing pain in his guts he didn't like. He realized now that it hadn't been Kimble he'd enjoyed last night, it was the other one, 'Shay. The one who was so mean to Kimble. This revelation bothered him for reasons he couldn't hope to explain. It was like he'd been tricked. He peeked in the door and was shocked.

Kimble was down in the corner against the bathtub on his hands and knees. His head was down against the floor, buried under a canopy of ebony hair, wet from the shower. He held a large crystal spike in each hand with a white knuckled death grip, his arms trembling from the strain. He was naked and shivering -- his shower had not been a warm one, it had been a useless attempt to shut the voices raging in his mind, and water was splashed all over the floor as if he'd been fighting. His body was shaking as he cried, his soul tearing apart. He was horribly exposed, undone by all that had happened.

"He comes!" Zander snarled and Kimble looked up, his eyes wild with terror at the sight of his Master there in the doorway. He couldn't take another beating like last night.

"What ya doin' in here, Kim?" Sabretooth asked calmly, keeping his voice level.

"Kills him, Kimble!" Zander ordered, but the pilot didn't move. His trembling intensified and a terrible, aching whine leaked out of his tightly clenched teeth.

Creed crouched down and pulled a towel from the rack, laying it over Kimble to warm him. He reached for one of the spikes, his movements slow and careful.

"Kills him! I wants it! Ughh! Stop fightin' me! Come on, Kim! Give it up!" Zander howled.

"I ain't no killer..." Kimble protested, twitching and twisting his head. He was talking out of both sides of his mouth, wrestling with himself.

Creed was trying to remain calm, but his mind was reeling. He knew Kimble wasn't right in the head, he'd heard the voices that first day and didn't pay it much mind. Kimble had even admitted to being off his rocker. Still, Creed hadn't been concerned. Since Kimble had settled in the penthouse, his disturbing voices had been silent and he thought maybe Kimble was just fooling around or trying to pull some stupid mind game when he had admitted to being split. That hadn't been true after all, Sabretooth was sure of that now. He'd gotten a little too carried away with his anger last night and Kimble was freaking out. The real Kimble. The one who followed him around playfully and was so attentive and thoughtful. That one was shattered here on the floor, groveling in puddles of water and shivering all over. It made him sick with guilt to see it.

"Easy, Kim. Give me the spike," Creed said in his best soothing voice.

"Yes, Master..." Kimble wheezed, ever obedient, and twitched violently with a frustrated grunt. Zander wouldn't let it go and Creed had to carefully pry it loose. He could feel Kimble's muscles bunching and tensing below him and knew the power of them. He could also feel telekinetic waves tickling the hair on his arms as Kimble and Zander waged war against one another. He knew Kimble had powers, had been spiked through by Kimble himself at Cameron's house in Baltimore, yet kept forgetting the fact of Kimble's abilities all these weeks. Kimble was a powerhouse walking loose and free through his life, never harming him, not even once since he'd lived under Creed's roof.

"You sick fuck!" Zander snarled. "I hates you! I hates you fer hurtin' us!"

"I'm sorry," Creed said, actually meaning it.

"Liar! You liked it! You likes hurtin' us!"

"No," Creed replied calmly, reaching for the other spike.

"You ain't gonna hit us no more?" 'Shay asked woefully. "No, that's not fair!"

Zander howled with rage. "Shut up, ya bitch! Yer worse than he is, askin' fer it! I hates you, too! I hates alla yous fer never listenin' ta me!" he complained bitterly. New tears streamed from the pilot's eyes as Zander's rage increased.

"Help me!" Kimble pleaded, looking up into the eyes of his Master. "I cain't holds him back!"

Creed nodded and pulled Kimble up against him, warming his soaked and shivering body with his heat. He said nothing more, but embraced Kimble tightly, one arm holding the remaining spike at bay. He wasn't afraid of it, he'd suffered far worse. It was the idea of it.

"He's a monster, Kimble!" Zander argued, feeling the Lover calm from his Master's warmth and touch. This is not what he wanted.

"So am I," Kimble responded, his voice going dreamy and quiet as he relaxed. The Master had known just what to do. So wonderful, these strong, huge arms holding him.

"No, you ain't," Creed said, using his thumb to rub the pulse point on the wrist of Kimble's outstretched arm, rubbing gently in the rhythm of his own heartbeat. He was outwardly calm, but Kimble's reaction here was frightening him. He didn't want Kimble to be in pain like this. "Yer good an' yer kind. You never once did anything ta hurt me...even when I deserved it."

Kimble sobbed and released the spike with a shudder, letting it fall to the bathroom floor with a clink. "I'm all broked up inside..."

"I know. I can see that," Sabretooth replied with a wry chuckle. "You gots a whole crowd in there, just like ya said." He folded Kimble's arms closer to keep in the warmth, still gently rubbing his wrist.

"N-no phone...no phone..I promise...d-don't hits me like that again, please!" Kimble blubbered like a child, breaking down again. "It hurt me so bad...!"

Creed lowered his head to rest it on Kimble's. How many men had he tortured to hear them beg and plead like this? Now he was the one in agony. "I won't."

"I liked it, what about me?" Lakotashay complained.

"Shut up, 'Shay. No one asked you," Creed grumbled. "I know it was you last night. You tricked me. You just shut yer yap and go back ta wherever it is ya hide."

"Yes, Master," she replied with a pout, her voice soft and quiet.

"You want to go home, Kim?" Creed asked, his heart hammering in his chest.

"Ya said the penthouse wuzn't safe."

"No. Back ta Remy. I heard ya talkin' about him."

"Yes!" Zander blurted out, his hopes soaring. He couldn't believe their luck. "Lets us go! Yer breakin' us all ta pieces! Let us go!"

"Shut up, you," Creed said, still not having caught Zander's name. "I was askin' Kimble!"

"No," Kimble said, rushing to speak his mind. "No, Master. My place is with you. Remy...Remy wuz my friend, he looked after me, took good care of me, but that's it. I wuz always alone, not with somebody. Not like it is here with you an' Mary. I-I don' do so well when I'm alone. I gots ta have the lovin', the fuckin'. I gots ta hear yer heart beatin', glowin' all inside my head. It stops alla the fightin', screamin' in my head. It does...it does... I loves ya, Kristalay, I do. Don' leaves me, please...I didn' mean ta makes ya so mad."

Sabretooth was mildly surprised to hear Kimble speak this way about Gambit. The boy he knew didn't give a shit about anybody but himself. He lied and conned his way through scores of women and had no real friends, just people that he used over and over again. It just didn't seem possible that they were the same guy. It also unsettled him to hear Kimble say such loving things about being with him. He had no illusions about his ways. Living with him was brutal. Last night was a prime example of that. Was it possible that after all this time, someone actually loved him? No way --- pigs weren't flying and Hell hadn't frozen over last he'd checked. This was impossible.

"So ya wanna stay? Stay fer real?" he asked, still not quite ready to believe.

"Yes. Don' leave us...don' bring us back...don' gives us ta Jael...please...don' wanna go... no phone... I'll be good, I promise!" Kimble continued to quietly sob.

"I ain't lettin' ya go. Gonna take ya up ta Maine. I got a nice place up there. We can stay there a coupla weeks. I gotta come back and do a job here in the city for part of the time, but I'll take ya with me. Then we'll come back, maybe have Christmas."

"Is there snow up there...?"

Creed grunted a surprised laugh. "Yeah, why?"

"I likes the snow."

"I kinda figgered that out."

"Don' give up on me, Kimble," Zander growled. His tone betrayed his defeat, Kimble had closed his eyes and was limp in Creed's embrace.

"You shut yer yap, too," Creed ordered.

Zander just laughed in contempt. "You might own them two wimps, but yer never gonna be the Master of me. There's gonna be a reckonin' 'tween you and me, ya cocksuckin', shit eatin' bastard son of a cunt lappin' whore. Count on it. I didn't take no shit from Logan, I ain't takin' it from you!"

Creed could feel the rage. He had never heard such language come from Kimble and he knew this was no joke. It frustrated him that he was confronted by a force he couldn't fight. To hurt Zander would hurt Kimble. "You just back off there, son. What's done is done. Fergit it."

"Never! I don' ever fergit nuthin'!"

"Zander...just wanna sleeps now," Kimble mumbled. Creed's high metabolism had pumped him full of luscious warmth and he was tired and drowsy in Creed's lap, mentally exhausted.

"I'm always gonna be here, lookin' out fer us," Zander promised and quieted.

"Kimble?" Creed asked after a moment. The pilot had begun to softly snore.

"S'? What? Master...?"

"Let's get out of here."


	4. Chapter 4

(Four)

Remy slid the tape into the player and leaned back against the table. He was in the War Room down in the lower level, it had the best media players and was very comfortable. Logan had come in and taken a seat at the long table behind him. Karen sat silently next to him, a pad of paper out in front of her for notes.

"Creed's Whore", the tape had been labeled. _Do I really want to see dis?_ Remy asked himself, shaking his head. He remembered the moniker from Leon's story and knew who it meant. Leon had said something about Kimble having a bad session with some of Creed's men, but had given no details. He hoped it wasn't this and decided to watch anyway. The whole point of this was to look for clues for where Creed may have gone. Even if it was some kind of horrible porno tape, there might be something that was filmed afterwards that could give them some clues as to where Sabretooth may have gone.

The tape started. There was a date in the corner showing this tape had been made several days after Kimble had been taken by Creed. It was filmed from a small mini-camcorder placed on a guard's table in the room with the holding cells. Both Leon and Kimble could be seen inside their small cells. Of the two men, only Kimble was naked. It was a sick statement of what he had been used for all those days in the cell, there was no point to him being dressed, really.

One of the men went inside Leon's cell and held a gun to his head.

Kimble stood at the entrance to his cell, shifting his weight warily. His keypad was activated and he nervously stepped out, clearly uncertain of what to expect. This told Remy that what was happening now was something new to the pilot. The four men Creed had left behind were there ---- Bob was in the cell with Leon and Charlie, George and Hardy stayed outside with Kimble.

Hardy unzipped his pants. "I want some of what yer Master got, bitch."

"Shure." Kimble dropped down to his kness and went to work. Remy closed his eyes and pinched the brow of his nose. Now more than ever he knew this was going to be bad. He was trying really hard to stop the tears of fury and frustration that had come on him almost violently. His emotions had been so out of control lately, this he did not need. He should have slept first, it had been only three hours since they had left Leon behind at the bar and his high was long gone.

Logan was silent, but didn't look away. He could smell Gambit's distress and saw the tightness of his shoulders. He knew this would be hell for him to watch. Maybe they should have waited. He had asked Seth to do a quick check on the men he saw before him now, the ones Leon said Sabretooth had killed. It hadn't taken Seth long to pull up a police file. Three of the four men had been found, washed up in the harbor, all killed by a single bullet to the head, execution style. Logan already knew they wouldn't find the fourth. The blood he'd seen in the kitchen for Creed's men pretty much clinched that. This had to be that ugly session that Leon had alluded to. He prayed it wasn't as bad as he feared.

Kimble finished his task only to be presented with another man to please. So it went until they had all had a turn, the men rotating so there was always someone in the holding cell with Leon where Kimble couldn't reach them. Kimble had no restraining collar in place, it wouldn't work on him and the protective barrier was the only thing keeping Kimble from killing them all. Leon had told the X-men about Kimble's resistance to the collar back at the bar, both X-men had been surprised by the news. Here was some evidence that Leon was telling the truth, any prisoner that was a true mutant would be expected to wear one, its absence on Kimble was explained.

Logan watched and wondered. Yes, it was true that Leon was being held hostage here, but with Kimble's telekinetic power, he still should have been able to free them both simply by making shields or blowing the men back on their asses. Zander's ability at the bank should have proven that. No, something else was keeping Kimble there, Logan just couldn't figure out what it was. He hoped this tape would tell, but he wasn't so sure.

The tape played on. Hardy was the first to have been served by the pilot and was wound up again watching Kimble work his friends. He pushed the pilot against the wall and kicked his feet apart, holding him down by the scruff of his neck. He pushed himself against his prisoner and began raping him, hitting him the whole time. The pilot whimpered with each tearing stroke of Hardy's hateful body, but the man didn't care. "Give me the 'glow', freak! I seen what ya do with Creed! Give it to me!"

"Fuck you!" Kimble snarled in Zander's harsh growl.

Hardy hit him again and Kimble groaned in Siskan.

Remy froze the tape. "You catch dat?" he asked Logan without turning around to look at him. His voice was tired and sad.

"Sounded like frash-a -nay- a -too."

"**Frashnarayatoo**?"

"Yeah."

"Means 'please.' "

"Who's he asking?" Karen asked, confused.

"Zander mebbe. If he speakin' in Siskan, it ain't to dose guys. Dey ain't gonna understand."

"What's the 'glow'?" Karen wanted to know.

Remy shifted uncomfortably. He had an idea what it meant but was concerned to reveal too much. They might wonder how he knew and he wasn't about to discuss his crumbling sex life here. "I t'ink he mean 'is empathy," he offered as a compromise. "Kimble can make people feel good by t'inkin' about it. Dis 'ow 'e 'elp Brucie pass on when 'e was sufferin'. It de mos' powerful when 'e fuck."

"How do you know this?" she asked softly.

" 'E show me in de files." It was all he was going to say.

Remy started up the tape again.

"Come on, give it to me!" Hardy continued to demand.

"Kiss my ass!" Zander snapped again.

Hardy yanked Kimble's head back and smashed his forehead into the wall. Kimble's legs buckled and he slid partway down the wall.

"**Frashnarayatoo...Zander, lastareckt...frashnarayatoo..!" **Kimble wailed, tears streaming from his eyes. He was all done, the pain and the beating more than he wanted to take.

"**Nisk. Hreasek tadesk kalistada dect,**" Zander replied, his voice calm.

Remy froze the tape again.

"What?" Karen asked when Remy didn't immediately speak.

"He askin' Zander ta do it, to use 'is power like dey askin'. Zander say non."

"Why?"

" 'Cause if he does, they'll never leave him alone," Logan answered for him. He was familiar with this, having seen people incarcerated and tortured before. He understood why Zander was doing this although it was hard to see Kimble's mistreatment. Kimble lived to fuck, but he was in misery here. It made Wolverine feel all the more guilty for having called Kimble a rapist, what Kimble had done wasn't even close to the scale he was now receiving.

"No, why would he have to ask Zander that?" Karen said. "Can't they all use the power?"

Remy was thoughtful, her question a welcome distraction. "P'etetre, p'etetre non. Mebbe 'e like some kind of on/off switch. He de Punisher, de one who would need deir power de mos'. It makes a kind of sense dat 'e would be in control of it."

The tape played on.

"I think this here boy thinks he's too good for us," Hardy said, holding up Kimble's body while he continued to pound into him without mercy.

George came to assist. He had a small knife and lay it across Kimble's throat. "Do as he says!"

"Go for it, fat boy!" Lakotashay hissed at him, her eyes eager. "Fuckin' do it, man!"

"Jesus..." Logan swore and shook his head as he felt a surge of guilt. Kimble was still hopelessly smashed, still wishing for death.

"This guy's fucked in the head!" Charlie said, coming to the other side of Kimble. He yanked on Kimble's ear, making the pilot howl. It was too much for Hardy and he climaxed, turned on by the torture. He finished and stepped back, releasing the pilot. Kimble slumped to the floor, his legs too weak to hold him. He was crying now and trying really hard to stop, but he was in pain.

"Aw, what's the matter? Think all the fun is gone?" George asked. "Plenty more where that came from." He forced Kimble on his knees, moved behind him and started where his friend had left off. Bob came in front, demanding service as well. Kimble complied, what else could he do? The remaining man held Leon to watch, the gun still in place.

"Is there anything of use on this tape?" Karen asked softly. She had stopped watching almost from the start.

"Won't know 'till it's over, babe," Logan replied softly. "Maybe there's something after this."

Gambit was silent, but watching again. He was determined to burn in every detail. He knew these men were dead already, Logan had told him what Seth had found before they started, but someone was going to pay. He could blame Sabretooth for keeping Kimble, he could follow Creed to the ends of the earth and punish him forever, so great was the depth of Remy's hate.

George finally finished and Bob wasn't far behind. He demanded the "glow" as Hardy had, but it wasn't going to happen. Zander was quite firm on the matter. Hardy was in the cell with Leon and began to beat him, hoping to use that as an incentive. It didn't work. Kimble's eyes were glassy from pain and he was beyond being able to convince Zander to do anything. Hardy gave it up. He wasn't so stupid as to kill Leon, he was the only leverage they had against the pilot. There was no restraining collar holding Kimble's power in check and he had seen how powerful the pilot could be when Kimble was taken.

Bob finally finished and Charlie got up from his chair, he had taken a breather while the others had played. He stepped in front of Kimble now. "You think that was good, huh, ya little whore? Creed's Whore you are, since you won't share. Well, I'm gonna show ya what we do with little whores who don't share, boy. Tell me, when was the last time you ate?"

"Y-yesserday..." Kimble wheezed, grey gel leaked from his split lip, mixing with the semen and spit from his torturers that dribbled down his chin. He was trashed and barely hanging on. If the Siskan Courtesan in him was enjoying this as Leon had so thoughtlessly implied in his interrogation, he hid it really well. He was gasping for air and trembling all over with shock. It didn't mean he was unaware of what was going on. His eyes kept straying back to the gun at Leon's head, clearly he was deciding if he should act. Again, something stayed his hand. Wolverine knew the score here as Kimble did, he couldn't be certain Leon wouldn't be harmed in an exchange of fire, the risk was too great. If it really was for Leon's sake that Kimble took what he did, Logan couldn't help but admire his courage. This was a side of Kimble he never took the time to see.

"You must be real hungry, then," Charlie said, coming closer.

George and Hardy grabbed Kimble and held him down, yanking his head back. Gambit watched in dumbstruck amazement as Charlie crouched down and defecated on Kimble's face. There was movement and Leon screamed as he was struck. It was a warning to Kimble not to act. Hardy smeared the excrement all over Kimble's face, shoving it into his mouth. "You shit eating whore! Fuckin' faggot! Creed's fuckin' faggot whore!" someone yelled out.

Kimble reeled and gagged, held in place by powerful hands. He vomited explosively from his mouth and nose, making Charlie curse and punch him again. Kimble groaned and went down. The others stood over him, cackling curses and began urinating all over the pilot who now lay heaving his guts out onto the floor.

It was too much. Without warning, Gambit exploded into violence as he had back in the bar. He stood quickly with a inarticulate scream of fury and smashed his fist into the side of the television, tossing it to one side. It fell to the floor, shattering with a loud crash and a hiss, sending sparks and smoke everywhere. Gambit had reached his end with this and could no longer contain the tempest inside of him. He stormed out of the room, slamming the door abusively, and broke into a run as he made his way down the hall, not hearing as Karen shouted at him. He ran and ran, bolting down the mile long tramway, wanting the room to stretch his legs. He ran until he had no more breath and his legs burned like fire. He was in the hanger now with nowhere left to go, the mile long tram tunnel a blur in his hate blackened mind. He turned skittish as he heard Wolverine come up behind him. He paced away, holding two cards in his hand. His face was all black anger and rage.

Wolverine saw it and kept his distance. "Whoa, there. Easy. We'll get him back."

" 'E wouldn't be gone if it wasn't fo' you!" Remy blurted out in anger, tears streaming down his face as he spoke. Sabretooth wasn't here to answer for Kimble's torture, but Logan was, and the man was equally responsible as far as Gambit was concerned. "What happen dere -- dat's your fault, homme! Your fault!"

There was a noise and the door for the Dragon came open and Seth came out. "Hey guys. What's going on?"

Remy began to pace and Logan put his hands up in surrender. "Look--"

Gambit didn't wait, he dropped the cards and charged, wanting to hurt Logan with his fists instead. Logan sidestepped him and they clashed in a rapid dance of hands too quick for Seth to follow. It didn't matter, it was clear Remy was sporting for a fight. Seth ran back up the ramp to get Fallen.

Karen came up from the tramway, gasping for breath. She was nowhere near as physically fit as the guys and it had taken her this long to catch up. She watched as Gambit charged again and Logan fought him off. The fight was brilliant and fast, their skill beyond anything she had ever seen up close. They were both deadly and Gambit wasn't holding back.

"Take it easy, Gumbo," Logan repeated with calm resignation. "Those guys are all dead. Seth pulled up their files, I told ya that already. Creed took care of this. Let it go."

"Non!" Remy shouted. He tossed his coat and gloves off angrily, wanting the freedom of movement as he paced and paced like a cornered animal. "What you say to him, eh? What did you say to Kimble after he touch you! Tell me!"

"What does that have to do with this?" Logan asked, trying to deflect the question. He was painfully aware of Karen standing right behind him.

"Gambit 'seen' what dat guy did to you, dis Crazy John, whoever de fuck 'e is! What you say to Kim? Dat he like dat guy!"

Logan grit his teeth and was silent. This he did not want to discuss and he wasn't sure why Gambit was even bringing this up now. It had to be the rape, Kimble's rape. Here it was, that confrontation he'd been dreading. The one where he was expected to explain what had happened in the warehouse, the one where he would be expected to finally acknowledge his role in Kimble's shattering. This was sure to be explosive and ugly. He couldn't hide a flicker of guilt that crossed his face.

Gambit saw it and his restless pacing stopped. He grinned that sad, pained smile, the one that he always wore when his heart was smashing to pieces. "Bien entendu, oui...oui. Gambit see it now. You did, didn't you? You fuckin' called de Lover a rapist! Oh, dat's real fine! Wolverine, one of de white shinin', non prejudiced, unbigoted, all fo'givin', 'we accept dem all, even de guilty' X-men!"

"Gambit -- Remy, I--" Logan stammered uselessly. Nothing he could say was going to fix this.

"Y'all happy now!" Remy interrupted, opening his arms expansively. Tears were streaming down his face and he was close to outright bawling. He was breaking down. Here it comes, a shattering of his own. "Y'all happy now? Did y'all like dat, what dey done to him? Gave dat boy a taste of 'is own medicine! Gambit's pumped up little faggot sex freak got what 'e deserve, eh!"

"No," Logan said firmly. This he hadn't wanted. No one should have to go through what Kimble had. Not even the worst of monsters.

Gambit didn't want to hear it. He charged again, screaming, "You lyin' morceau de merde! Vous encule de mere malade! You sick mutherfucker!"

They came together and fought quickly, hands and feet this time. Remy was fast, but Logan had him at endurance. The battle was surprisingly painful. When their hands would come together, Remy hitting and Logan blocking, Wolverine was getting flash vibrations of Remy's intense rage and it hurt him mentally, like being sucker punched by an unseen opponent. Gambit's new found empathic power was leaking out of him, his pain and anger too intense for him to control. He had been keeping it inside for so long -- since the warehouse, Wolverine figured. It was coming out of him from the physical contact of their battle and now he understood. They had fought before, him and this thief, and never had this happened before. Gambit had been altered by Kimble and there was no use denying it now. That alteration exposed the thief's deepest feelings, his rage and his hurt, and Logan could feel it and knew what needed to be done.

Wolverine stopped talking, figuring Remy needed to get this out. He didn't block as well on purpose and some of Gambit's blows were getting through.

Gambit was all over it. He stopped pushing and started punching, hitting harder and harder. His lips pulled back in an ugly snarl and he came again and again, punishing Logan more and more each time.

"Stop it!" Karen screamed in frustration. She didn't dare get close, they were leaping about and using a lot of space as Remy waged his war. She couldn't believe Gambit's rage, the guy had been mostly quiet and kept to himself. He and Logan had been working together without squabbling or bickering. There were no hints that he'd been keeping all of this inside.

Remy hit and hit, ignoring the pain in his hands from Logan's metal covered bones. He saw first blood coming from Wolverine's nose and it drove him even more insane. He swung at Wolverine in rapid fire succession, landing the blows each time now. Logan let him. He stopped blocking and finally stood unresistant while Gambit punched him harder and harder, the thief losing all of his control as the rage and tears finally overwhelmed him. Logan reckoned that if Remy needed a punching bag to get rid of the sickness inside of him, so be it. Wolverine had been punished by Zander for his mistake, now it was Remy's turn to punish. So be it.

It took a long while, a good five minutes before Gambit was finished. He howled in mental agony as his legs gave way and finally collapsed in exhaustion into Logan's arms which caught him. Logan's face was a mess, but with his ability to heal, he was already recovering. He hadn't lost strength. He went down to his knees, bringing the exhausted Cajun with him and held him while he bawled, apologizing over and over. He ran his hands over Remy's head, soothing him while he cried.

"Je t'haine... I hate you!" Remy wheezed, contradicting himself by gripping Logan tightly with all the love of a betrayed child. "I hate you fo' what you done...!"

"I know," Wolverine replied gently, not letting him go.

There was a small crowd now. Seth had returned with Fallen and the tram pulled up with Henry and the Professor, the young pilot had rounded up the whole gang by phone. Logan looked up at them, forcing them to stay back with his eyes. They obeyed and Remy gradually quieted. His face was a red swollen mess and his hands were mangled. It looked like he may have broken one or two of his fingers from hitting Logan so hard. Still, Wolverine held onto him until the thief sat back, his head down from being too heavy to lift. Remy was wasted. He slowly lay down, putting his head in Logan's lap and covering his face with his ruined hands. Logan smoothed his hair back as he would a child and sat with him until he was asleep.

Karen sought permission to approach from Logan and crouched down next to him. She dabbed at her lover's bloody swollen face with a handkerchief. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Been through a lot worse'n this."

The Professor glided over on his chair. "You want to explain this?" he asked calmly. He could see that the two of them'd had some kind of breakthrough, a release of the pent up energy between them. He would never condone such a violent resolution to any problem, but wasn't going to argue about it now at this moment. Things weren't as bad as they could have been. In spite of Gambit's anger and violence, the thief hadn't refused Logan's contrition nor his offer of comfort. They were still friends. Charles was glad to see it in spite of the damage to Wolverine's face, though the swelling was already going down thanks to his mutation.

Wolverine tried to explain. "We got a phone call from Kimble and Remy managed to get some details from here 'bout where he was."

"You found Kimble?" Seth asked quickly, his eyes eager.

"No. We just missed him. Creed bugged out, takin' everyone with him."

"Creed? I thought Kimble was at Jael's," Henry asked in confusion. He was giving Remy a quick once over, trying to disturb him as little as possible. Logan still held him protectively.

"We all did. Things just got a lot more complicated, people. Anyway, me and the Cajun went to Creed's safehouse and poked around a little bit. We found a camcorder a tape with Kimble on it. It was real bad --- real bad. I never thought I would say this, but... I really, really feel bad for that guy. We gotta get him back."

"It hasn't been for the lack of trying. Did you learn anything new from the tape?" the Professor wanted to know.

"Not really. It was just --- just Creed's guys beating him up," Wolverine replied, turning his head so he wouldn't have to see the crestfallen look on Seth's face. Logan sat still as Karen continued to clean his face. The bleeding had already stopped and the bruises were fading rapidly. "We got some other stuff from Creed's place that was more helpful. Seth'll work it through the computer."

Seth was shivering still from the news that Kimble had been beaten and horrible display of violence he had just witnessed. He crouched down and looked at Remy's face. His voice was quiet and sad as he asked, "Is Remy going to be okay?"

"Yeah. He had ta get the anger out. He'll get some sleep and you'll see. He'll be right as rain," Logan promised, trying to sound more hopeful than he felt. The only thing that was going to end Gambit's pain was Kimble's ass back in this house. Nothing less was going to satisfy.

"Bring Gambit down to Med Bay and then you and I will have a little talk," Charles ordered to Wolverine with just enough insistence to let him know this order would be obeyed.

Logan nodded and eased Remy to his feet.


	5. Chapter 5

(Five)

Seth trailed the group down the hall. Logan was half walking, half carrying an uncooperative Gambit down to Med Bay. The thief was wasted but was too heavy to carried all the way from the hanger, their progress was slow but still faster than if Henry had called for a wheelchair. Fallen didn't know Seth was tagging along, she had assumed he had followed her back inside the Lucky Dragon, but the young Siskan was much too worried about his hero to just walk away.

Seth was quiet as a mouse, odorless and easily overlooked in a crowd. He wasn't noticed and so didn't call any attention to himself. He still didn't consider himself part of the working team and didn't feel he had the status to question what was going on. Right now he was terribly worried about Gambit. He didn't know exactly what had happened that morning, but knew only that it had to do with Kimble. It was enough to make him boldly tag along.

The vibrations from the fight had been terrible. He had never seen anyone so angry as Gambit had been. The thief had been reduced to a snarling ball of rage and it broke Seth's heart. It told him that he wasn't the only one who missed Kimble deeply.

The group stopped outside of the Med Bay and Beast took over Gambit duty and took him inside to be examined. Seth paused next to the soda machine, not exactly hiding but merely being inconspicuous. He would wait here until the verdict came out on Remy's condition. The Professor, Logan and Karen were outside the door talking. Seth wasn't noticed, no one shushed him away. He leaned against the wall and chewed on a nail, a nervous habit that had come with him from the system. He would wait.

-----------------------

Henry brought Remy inside the lab and placed him on an examining table. He received the injured thief with his usual aplomb, but soon became irritated himself. He took one big sniff at Remy and frowned. "You've been very bad, my friend. I may not have Wolverine's nose but I know a marijuana cigarette when I smell one. What did I say about that? It won't help you."

"If I wanted yo' 'elp I would've asked fo' it!" Remy snarled rudely. "Fuck off!"

Henry growled, a sound he did not make frequently, but when he did, most people took notice. "I'm going to forget you said that. I know you've been bent all out of sorts lately. You haven't been taking the medications I gave you, haven't you?"

"Dey don't 'elp me," Gambit complained, still grumpy. He hadn't meant to be so cross, but he now had a blinding headache and his hands ached horribly. He wanted to be drugged so he could pass out and forget this nightmare.

"They don't help you because you don't take them."

"Dey ain't 'elpin' me, all right! Nuthin' does!"

Henry took a step back, sighing once more in frustration. This one had never been a good patient on a good day, never mind when he was so clearly trashed. "Have you spoken to the Professor about it?"

"Non."

"Karen?"

Remy shook his head with a grunt, swaying slightly. He felt horrible.

"How can you expect to fix this problem you're having if you don't get help? If the meds I gave you didn't help, I've got plenty of others to try. Sometimes you have to try more than one."

"No more drugs," Gambit insisted, his red eyes deadly serious. "De only t'ing you givin' me is sumptin' so Gambit can pass out and stop bein' a pain in yo' ass. Dat's it, comprenez?"

Beast glared at him. "I am the doctor here. I will decide what's best for you."

Gambit snarled and rose, intending to walk away. He hadn't even been X-rayed for his hands yet but right now, he didn't care. He still had the rest of the Jack Daniels up in his room. That would do just fine. He was stopped by a large blue hand on his shoulder.

"Not so fast, young man. I swear, you are even more stubborn than Logan, and that's only because he can heal and isn't in here as often. Sit your butt back down on that table, **now!" **

There was no mistaking the authority nor the strength of the paw that held him in place. Remy allowed himself to be maneuvered back to the table and sat back down, his head hung low. "Je suis de'sole... Gambit's so tired... so tired."

Henry tipped his chin up to look at him. "I know. Stop fighting me and let me help you."

Remy looked into his eyes, not sure of what to say. There was little Henry could do to help him, he believed that to be true. What pill was going to stop all these vibrations from tormenting him? The dreams, the fear of killing someone? No pill could fix that. He had lost a good measure of his self confidence, something that would be difficult to overcome. That and he was angry almost all the time now. The memories he had of Kimble were fading, his friend had been gone so long, it was becoming as if he'd never been here at all. The only thing constant was this great big empty hole inside of him. Nothing Henry could prescribe was going to fill it.

Beast saw the hopelessness on Gambit's face and stopped arguing with his difficult patient. He ruffed his head, still the tried and true method of making the kid smile. It worked and the doctor relaxed. He examined Gambit's poor battered hands and took some X-rays. Two fingers on his right hand were fractured and he sprained his wrist from the hard impact on Logan's metal covered bones. His left wrist fared much worse, it was broken in two places. It was a testament to Gambit's anger, he'd been too enraged to stop before he'd injured himself. The exam was painful and Gambit's smile faded quickly. He lay down on the examining table, curled up and grumpy, while Henry taped up his fingers and bandaged his wrists, keeping his gloom and doom to himself.

Henry worked, his eyes straying down to the thief's tortured face while he put a cast on the wrist that was broken. He could see Remy's spirits had tanked again. _What did Kimble do to you?_ he couldn't help but wonder. He knew Gambit hadn't been right ever since that bizarre file sharing with the holographic pilot. Rogue's breaking up with him hadn't helped at all and now Kimble was gone. Remy was breaking down, slowly and surely and something had to be done about it. He would have to put the Professor and Karen on notice. Gambit needed a break.

--------------------------------

Out in the hall, Seth was eavesdropping. It wasn't a deliberate act, it was more like he had blended so well into the background, no one seemed to realize he was there. The Professor appeared to be having many of the same thoughts as Henry and wanted to know exactly what was going on. He listened as Karen gave him the details of the tape and Remy's violent reaction, his brow crinkled with concern.

Seth heard it all. He shivered and sank back into the wall, willing himself not to cry. Kimble had been beaten, raped, covered in shit. What had his brother gotten into? It was a firm reminder that it wasn't safe out here in this great big world. What happened to Kimble could just as easily happen to him. He had no defenses, he didn't have any of the powers of a pilot no matter what he looked like. Kimble was speaking in voices now, the three selves rolling around, in and out. The concept of it frightened him badly. Could this happen to him as well? He slid his arms around himself, trying to reassure. Fallen would keep him safe, yes. All he had to do was never leave here. Her power and these walls would protect him. He had to believe that or go crazy with fear.

Wolverine leaned against the wall behind Karen, saying nothing as she spoke. He was free from injury now, the only sign of the battle were some blood stains on his shirt. He had no idea Seth was so close, if he had he would have silenced her to protect the young Siskan from knowing. He would never have wanted Seth to hear all this, Seth was worried enough as it was. Logan wasn't blind, he knew Seth missed his brother and was fretful and worried. He had no desire to add to the young pilot's woes.

"How did you two know to go looking for this tape?" Charles wanted to know, his question directed at Wolverine. "Tell me again."

Logan explained about Kimble's phone call and their trip to Creed's lair. He also filled him in on finding Leon and what the boy had told them. The Professor nodded, his eyes tired now. "This information must be shared. I want a meeting called for this evening, everyone will attend. This will be an update meeting so we can get all these things squared away. Get some sleep and prepare, I want all these facts laid out to everyone so we can plan our next move. Understood?"

"Yes, Professor," Wolverine said and shuffled off to bed.

The Professor regarded Karen with his steel blue eyes. "What's happening to my thief, Karen?"

"I don't really know, sir. He's not been very co-operative. He knows an awful lot about Kimble he's not saying and that worries me. I wonder just how deep the link is between them. Everyone keeps telling me they didn't know each other for that long so I don't understand why he's so distressed. I'm concerned about this sharing of files. Maybe... Maybe Kimble got imprinted on Gambit's brain or something, I don't know. I'm reaching here."

"Maybe it's true," Beast replied coming out from Med Bay. He looked with surprise past the Professor and Karen to where Seth was loitering next to the soda machine. The young pilot had been very quiet all this time, ignored by everyone, and looked up at the sound of Henry's voice. Beast nodded at him and said, "You can go and see him, Seth. Just let him sleep."

Seth nodded and slipped past them all, saying nothing. He ignored the looks of stunned wonder, no one had known he was there. The Professor was instantly on guard. How much had Seth heard? He looked tired and ragged, in pain. He had heard it all. Damn. So much for trying to protect the boy. Seth's aversion to violence and his frailty was well known.

"That's interesting," Karen noted, her voice full of curiosity. "Seth followed us here without us knowing. Without Logan knowing. Doesn't that strike you as odd? I thought Logan could sniff out anybody."

"Seth is not organic, he carries no scent. That and Wolverine is tired and upset. He's probably a bit off of his game. I myself can't pick up his mental presence at all. It was the same with Kimble."

"Does Seth know anything about the file sharing? Maybe he should be questioned."

"If he does know anything, he's said nothing," Beast replied. "He's had ample opportunity to offer any insights he may have had. On the other hand, it's clear Remy has made something of adopting these lost Siskans. He's closer to the two of them than anyone else right now."

"I find all of this disturbing," Charles commented. "Something's going on here that we don't understand. We need to know more about the file sharing. Remy should be tested."

"What he needs is a long vacation," Henry said. "He's breaking down."

"He won't leave until Kimble is found," Karen replied. "If he feels responsible for Kimble he won't go. Not without some kind of incentive."

"Then maybe he needs to be assigned to something that will take his mind off of this. Of course I have no idea what, but he needs help."

"I'll see what I can come up with," the Professor said. He cocked his head when he heard Seth's voice trickling softly from the Med Bay.

--------------------

Seth crept quietly into the recovery room, finding Remy's bed easily. The curtain was half drawn to give the thief some privacy as he slept. Seth pulled a chair to the bedside and removed his glasses. The room was dimly lit, easy on his eyes. He wanted to assure himself that all was well with his friend so he lay his head lightly against Remy's chest and listened to him breathing. Gambit was out cold asleep, drugged heavily and now resting peacefully, the young pilot's presence did not wake him. Seth closed his eyes and relaxed, feeling better with Gambit so close. He was happy now that Remy seemed okay, his injuries were not that bad.

Seth softly spoke to the sleeping thief. "I'm sorry you got so angry. I'll try harder, I will. Logan gave me some of the stuff you guys found and I've already started working on it. I'll get Kimble back. I'll get him back for both of us. Then it will all be better."

"Mon petite fils..." Remy slurred affectionately in his sleep, not fully awake. He had sensed Seth's vibrations of love and concern and was dreaming. He wasn't one to speak out in sleep, but the young pilot's vibrations of love and happiness had reached him, even in the depths of sleep. He reached out with one bandaged hand and found Seth's head, petting him gently.

Seth smiled. Remy's vibrations were always so powerful and strong. Always they held so much love, as if Seth was his adopted brother now as well as Kimble. These two had no idea just how much they had in common now, Kimble had touched them both and left his mark, bonding them together as strong as blood.

"Henry says to let you rest so I'll go," Seth said, slipping away gently and smoothing out Gambit's blankets with care. "I'll come back in a while." He gave Remy a soft kiss on his forehead and walked out. He kept his eyes low as he came into the hallway, always shy around the Professor.

"How is he?" Charles asked just to make conversation.

"He's better now," Seth replied, frowning a little when he saw Fallen come for him. She never left him alone for long and now he could tell she was here to bring him back, the protective mother hen. He enjoyed her looking after him, but sometimes he felt a little smothered.

"There you are," she said, keeping her voice level. Her eyes betrayed her, she didn't like it when he wandered off. She hadn't known he had followed Remy down here.

"I had to see that Remy was okay," he offered as an excuse.

"Then let him rest," she said, taking his hand. "We've got a lot of work to do today."

"I've got to crunch the stuff Logan gave me," Seth protested like a kid trying to get out of homework.

She gave him a small pained smile, the poor deluded dear. She didn't think a credit card number from one of Creed's people would have much to offer. It was sure to be under a false name and untraceable. She silently cursed Logan for raising up his hopes like that. "We promised Henry a cloak for the Blackbird."

"It can wait," Beast said, sensing the tension.

"There's time enough for both. Let's go," Fallen ordered, claiming her Siskan by taking his hands and taking a step towards the tramway.

"I'll let you know when he wakes up," Beast promised to Seth, who nodded at him as he was towed away.

"Fallen's protective of him," Karen observed.

"Probably because of what happened to the other one. Excuse me, I've got some more tests to run," Henry said, going back to his lab.

Charles watched the two pilots go. Seth's head was down, ever obedient. He couldn't fault Fallen's protectiveness, what had happened to Kimble was certainly inspiring. Seth would be sheltered, protected. No way would his brother's fate befall him, not if any of the X-men had something to say about it. It did make him a bit nervous to see Fallen boss Seth around though, it was as if he were less than a man. Like a servant. The thought wormed its way into his brain and bore fruit. Yes, he had a few ideas himself to bring out at the meeting tonight. It should prove to be interesting indeed.

----------------------------------

Seth wasn't the only one to visit Remy that morning. Rogue slipped in when the hallway had cleared. Henry was busy elsewhere, satisfied Gambit would be out for at least a couple more hours. The young girl slipped in quietly and sat beside the thief, frowning when she saw his poor bandaged hands. She didn't know the details of what had happened but wasn't surprised Remy had lashed out at Logan. Really, Wolverine was such an arrogant bastard, the only surprise was that it didn't happen more often. She loved the guy dearly, but was well aware of the man he was.

She took Gambit's hand, careful not to grip it too tightly. She had done a lot of thinking lately, especially now that Manny had left her. Manny had returned back to the Mansion, but not to her. He was content to teach, loving his vocation too much to leave it because of her. They hadn't been going out all that long. He was civil to her, not one to carry a grudge, but was sure to keep their conversations short.

Rogue was lonely now on her own and at these times, her thoughts often traveled back to this poor wronged thief. The whole house knew he was having problems, he wasn't his usual cheery self and was grumpy and sullen. Of course she knew what it was, the poor boy missed her so. He was pining away without her love.

What she ignored was the large framed picture Remy had put on his wall. He had them all framed, the three pictures of Kimble's fractured selves. The Quitter and the Punisher were there, but not given the same deference as the Lover. That one had been framed in expensive wood and glass, immortalized and kept safe, on display in spite the sexual nature of the picture. Kimble's ghostly self embracing him was Remy's reminder of what had been lost. It was an incentive to keep pushing and seeking. Rogue saw none of that. She avoided his room and those pictures, it was easier for her to believe this was all a case of Remy missing her deeply.

She still loved him, this damnable thief. He had stolen her heart and she didn't think she would ever love anyone else as much. It was hard to love him, true. He kept his secrets and dangerous past hidden, but she missed his laughter, the way he made her feel. He had always gone out of his way to please her, bringing her small gifts all the time and taking her out. She was spending far too much time alone now. She had to win him back, she resolved. He had always taken her back before, why wouldn't he now?

Remy laughed in his sleep, still dreaming. As with Seth, he had felt her vibrations of love and it seeped into his dreams. The difference was, his response to Seth had been dead on accurate, he knew who it was he was speaking to. This now, was all together different.

Gambit was stretched out on a large checkered blanket under the large oak tree in the flower field. It wasn't winter as it was now. No, it was the middle of summer, a nice fresh day. His eyes were closed and he was almost asleep. He was at that point where his eyes wouldn't open even if he wanted them to, but he was aware of everything else around him. There were birds all around and the buzzing of bees, a delightful happy sound. He could hear the laughter of two small children nearby, his kids. They were twins, a boy and a girl, Jean Luc for his father and Matilda, or Mattie after his Tante. He loved the sound of them as they romped and played, they were chasing a ball about, sending clouds of sweet smelling petals up into the air.

The thief himself was being embraced gently as he lay on the blanket, he could feel the soft rise and fall of his wife's breasts against his head as she breathed. Every now and again, he would be jostled a bit as she laughed, but didn't care. Her belly was a little round. If he was patient, he would feel a soft kick against his hand that rested there. She was pregnant again, just one this time. Another boy. Kimble this one would be named, no doubt. The decision had already been made. Gambit was in heaven and knew no greater bliss. His wife's hands stroked his face gently, her bare hands. This was not Rogue who held him although it was her vibrations in the real world influencing his dream.

He smiled, whispering out loud in both worlds, "Je t'amie, mon chere..."

In the Med Lab, Rogue laughed softly. It had been so long since she'd heard those words. "I love you, too, Remy."

Gambit laughed and twitched on his blanket under the tree when he heard his kids squeal sharply with happiness. "Uncle Kimble! Uncle Kimble's here!"

There was the crunch of flowers being crushed underfoot from his kids as they ran and more laughter. "Easy there, kiddos!" Kimble chuckled happily. There was a breeze and Remy knew he was swinging them around, they just loved it when Kimble when did that.

"Uncle----! Uncle ----'s here, too!"

Of course Kimble wouldn't come alone, not in this dream of Heaven. No, Kimble had found himself a lover, a true soul mate to fix all of his ills. The name was garbled, lost, but of course it was a man, it would have to be.

There was more crunching and then Kimble was there, there beside him. "Lazy bastard," Kimble joked affectionately and brushed his face. "Sleep tight, ya crazy thief."

"Mon amoureux..." Remy breathed.

In the Med Bay, Rogue froze. Mon amoureux, My Lover in the masculine. It chilled her. No, she had heard it wrong. No, she would not allow that soft phrase to interfere with her denial. Remy was hers, he would not be shared. Not with a strange alien creature impossible to understand.

Remy shivered and a tear leaked out of one eye. "Where have you been?"

Kimble laughed. "Got lost on the way over, go figger."

"Don' do dat again..." Gambit spoke, again vocalizing in both worlds. "So tired...so tired from lookin'..."

"No worries, I'm here now," Kimble replied, leaning past him to kiss his wife. "Hey darlin'. Ya looks so pretty. Gots the brightest shine of all, you with that little'un in yer belly."

Gambit laughed happily and Rogue took her hand away, sobbing quietly now. She knew the dream wasn't of her and it hurt. How could she compete with that asshole Kimble? That's who was there, Remy's face was so peaceful now and his words slurred off into nothing as the dream faded and he slipped into restful blackness.

She would win her Remy back. Yes, that was the only way to end the pain for both of them. Rogue took his hand again and spoke. "Remy? Can ya hear me?"

He didn't answer, he was somewhere else.

"You just rest, Sugah. I'm gonna fix this, just you wait an' see. I'll take his poison from your mind and bring ya back ta me. He won't hurt you anymore." She gave his bandaged hand a gentle kiss and placed it back on his chest. She retreated and went back the way she had come.


	6. Chapter 6

(Six)

Kimble lay across the long bench seat of the limo, his head resting comfortably in his Master's lap. He knew what Logan did not -- that he had suffered the vicious beating from Sabretooth's men for this. For this opportunity to be owned and used and loved as he should have been. It had been painful and horrible, but ultimately, so very worth it. Creed had one hand on his head, gently sifting his fingers through his long black hair. Kimble smiled in the darkness of the car, happier than he'd ever felt before.

_That ain't true_, Lakotashay whispered softly. _He ain't as good as father_.

"He's good enough fer me..." Kimble mumbled drowsily, not aware he had spoken aloud.

The stroking of Victor's hand increased in intensity. "You awake, Kim?"

"Yes, Master."

They'd been driving all day, heading up North into the deepest recesses of Maine, going almost all the way to Canada. They had stopped a couple of times to eat and stretch their legs but it was now early evening. Sabretooth hadn't wanted to stop until they reached their destination. They were very close now.

"Why you talkin' in voices?"

"Wuz I? Sometimes I cain't tell if it's all in my head or not."

"No, why you got them in the first place?"

Kimble shrugged a little. "Don' really know."

"It happens cuz people like you keeps hurtin' us!" Zander hissed, coming out just long enough to speak his piece.

Creed's gentle petting never faltered. "Who hurtcha?"

"Logan hurt us," 'Shay answered. "He said Kim wuz a child molester."

"Nuhh..." Kimble shivered and curled up. He covered his ears. "Quiet 'Shay, I don' wanna talks about this!"

"Why would Logan say that?" Victor asked, unable to hide a tone of anger in his voice. He knew Logan was rough, that he was brutally direct, a trait he himself shared.

"Cuz the Lover wuz pawin' up some girl," Lakotashay answered, proud that she had made Kimble squirm.

"Who's the Lover?"

"Kimble, silly," she replied in impatience. "Try to keep up, Master."

Victor twitched in irritation and swallowed the urge to punish. He knew this one would make Kimble suffer for it just as she had the belt. Kimble shivered in his lap and said softly, "I didn' know she wuz so young, I didn't know..."

Creed chuckled softly, he himself liked them young, the fresher the better. Nothing like tearing apart a bright new virgin, a real treat. "There ain't no crime in that, boy. Was she pretty?"

"Yeah...but it ain't no good ta break 'em so young, she wuz just a kid. Logan got all mad an' he hurt me."

"So you were broken even before you got melted?"

"Yeah... but not so bad as now. It's been worse since then. Now they all come out and things just ain't been right. They alls keep talkin' outta my mouth, makin' my head hurt. I needs the luvin', it keeps the voices away. If I don' gets the luvin'...I– I jus' wants ta die."

"We should die," Lakotashay said. "Then we'll get ta see father. He wuz the only one ta loves us fer real."

"You wanna kill yerself?" Sabretooth asked in gentle surprise, his hands still stroking Kimble's head. He wasn't sure why he was asking all these questions, he had just been filled with a desire to know this poor fractured creature better. It was true he had never inquired about Kimble's past.

"Sometimes..." Kimble answered honestly. "We done bad things. I knows 'Shay hurt somebody. I don' wants to 'member it."

_**We done a bad thing...**_ came the soft Siskan voice from within. The small pilot child was still there to whisper his tiny confession to the circle of light. Kimble heard it and shivered.

Creed continued to pet his toy. "It's all right, whatcha done. Jus' ferget it kid. Whatever it is, it ain't gonna compare ta what I've done. There ain't no need fer you to be thinkin' about offin' yerself. You got a place now, here with me. What's done is done."

"I don' wants ta go nowheres, Kristalay. Keeps me here with you."

Victor smiled, liking his new name. "That's the plan, kid. We're gonna go up to the cabin fer a couple weeks. I got job ta do back in the City after that, but we can go back there when it's done."

Victor fell silent, thinking about what Kimble had said. The pilot had always seemed happy enough, but he supposed that if Kimble was broken, it didn't come from having happy times. He did hear about the security guard from the news, it was why he had headed down to Baltimore in the first place. It was just so hard for him to equate that cold killing with the fragile childlike slave that had been prowling his house now for a month or so.

The road sped by and as it finally grew dark, they arrived at their destination. Sabretooth's cabin wasn't completely isolated but far enough alone to guarantee them privacy. He had a woman hired on to maintain the place while he was away and there was electricity and running water. He had phoned the woman so there would be fresh food and beer waiting for them. Mary guided the big limo up the small dirt road and parked.

Kimble got out, curious to see this new place. He couldn't help but smile. They were far up North and the ground was covered in snow. It was cold but he didn't care. He could look up into the sky and see a billion twinkling stars looking down at him. "Kristalay..." he breathed, trembling. The outdoors, he would never get enough of it.

Victor just smiled and ruffed his head a bit. "C'mon, Kim. Let's go get a fire started."

They walked into the cabin and again, Kimble was delighted. It was a rustic place and furnished to fit. Everything was wood framed and there were furs all around. Creed had some stuffed animal heads on the walls, but they were not his kills, most of the animals he took down were savaged much too badly to be mounted. There was a lovely large fireplace with a stone mantle. It had pictures of Sabretooth with some of his men, sometimes they came here to get away and hunt.

The cabin was good sized and had three bedrooms. Mary claimed the smaller one for herself and gave no argument when Kimble just naturally followed Creed into the Master bedroom. There would be no dog bed this time, Kimble was bunking with his Master. Creed unpacked while Kimble spread out on the large bed and stretched, arching his back seductively and giving his Master the eyes. Victor was of course distracted and didn't quite finish the job of putting his clothes away.

Mary sighed softly and started the fire, trying to ignore the sounds of the two men as Creed gave up on his clothes and chose to play with his servant instead. This was going to be hard for her, she knew it. In the penthouse, she could always get away so she didn't have to hear. The cabin was generous for what it was, but nowhere near as private as the penthouse could be. She was quite jealous, wanting Kimble for herself. She would never understand why Kimble put up with Sabretooth's abuse. He deserved better. She was concerned about Kimble's treatment, but also about her own. She had no real idea of how long they would be staying here and she wasn't happy about being the only other team member here. If the boss wanted company, she was it and she had fears he would try and make a move on her. She hadn't enjoyed his attention before and didn't want to have to experience again the nightmare that was Sabretooth in bed.

The door to Creed's room was still open, he didn't have the dignity to close it, and Mary couldn't help but peek out of the corner of one eye while she worked. She could see that Kimble was on his belly, his Master on top of him, humping away. It wasn't much different than when she had been forced except that Victor was gentler here and there was no mistaking the sounds of Kimble's approval.

She turned away, scowling. She hoped they wouldn't be here long, she wasn't up to listening to the two of them doing this for days on end. She finished the fire and tried to look casual when Sabretooth joined her in the kitchen afterwards. Kimble followed him, his eyes glassy from being used and from being tired. He sat at Creed's feet when his Master came to the table and lay his head in the big man's lap to be petted.

"So how long are we staying, boss?" Mary asked just to make conversation.

"We got the Brinks kidnappin' in a coupla weeks. We go back fer that an' come back here. I want the quiet."

She nodded without saying more. Her eyes strayed to Kimble's face. He had closed his eyes now and his expression was one of total rapture. His Master's large paw was caressing him gently, smoothing his hair back in long careful strokes. She wouldn't keep her eyes there, she didn't want to give away how jealous she was, Victor would be sure to use it against her.

The man himself didn't seem to notice. He was tired now and was only having a drink before bed. He finished his beer and went to bed, taking Kimble with him.

Mary cleaned up after and went to her own bed, feeling oddly lonely. She read for a while, but just wasn't that tired. She finally shut her light off and lay in the gloom. She had just made the decision to try pleasuring herself in an attempt to relax when she heard familiar soft footfalls and then Kimble was there for her, seeking both her company and her plasma. She laughed quietly in relief from her loneliness and let him tumble into bed with her, pulling him close. He made love to her, high now, and then held her as she drifted off to sleep, a contented smile on her face.

The pilot himself had no desire to sleep. Even now he didn't require long hours of sleep. He had catnapped with his Master and had come here to make Mary feel better. He'd been reading her loneliness in her shine though he gave no sign. He hadn't wanted to cause any friction between his two Masters, besides, he knew just who he belonged to and Creed took priority. His eyes moved to the window and looked out on a clear night sky. He wondered what Remy was doing and if he had understood the message he had been trying to send. He hoped so, this was where he wanted to be, right or wrong.


	7. Chapter 7

(Seven)

That same night, a meeting had begun at the Xavier Mansion, a Kimble status report. It was long overdue. Logan had organized all the materials and made slides, working to take his mind off the inevitable. After this meeting was adjourned there would be another, a much smaller one with the Professor himself and Gambit to discuss the big brawl they'd had this morning. For now, he was in the large War Room filled with the Blue squad, impatient to get this over with. The whole crew was there – Scott, Jean, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Bobby and Warren. Fallen and Seth had been invited as well.

Gambit had taken a place along the back wall. His hands and wrists had been taped and bandaged, his self inflicted wounding on display, but he looked much better. He'd slept all day and the long rest had healed him somewhat. He didn't recall his dream exactly, but had felt Kimble's presence there. It gave him a sense of peace and it showed in the passivity in his eyes. For the first time in a while, he wasn't angry.

The Professor noticed and was pleased. He started the discussion by tossing out this question. "Tell me, Fallen, tell us all what is a Courtesan really? I know some of this is redundant information, but indulge me. I have a purpose here in asking."

Fallen nodded and replied, "A Siskan Courtesan is a pleasure program designed for one or more users. It provides companionship, entertainment. Sometimes, in the case of Sheyman and myself, actual medical care and looking after."

"Kimble is different from a normal Courtesan because he is empathic?"

"Yes. We heard the two Siskan Council members say so."

She went on to give a quick review of what she'd seen in Kimble's files. When Kimble's memory files had been replayed, part of his life on Siska had been reviewed for all of the Lucky Dragon's passengers to see. They saw Kimble's first years as a possession of Sheyman, his creator. Even on Siska, Kimble was different and his willfulness hadn't gone unnoticed. Neither had his ability to read his clients and influence them with his empathic gifts. The Siskan Council had been in charge of hologram behavior and they had been overheard discussing Kimble's fate, even going so far as to consider destroying him.

"Are you empathic?" the Professor asked Seth, startling him a little. Seth hadn't expected to be anything besides an observer.

"I don't know," Seth replied honestly.

"What you feel when you lovin' Fallen? When you intimate wit' 'er." Remy asked, startling more than just Seth this time.

"How is that relevant, Sugah?" Rogue wanted to know.

Gambit ignored her, he was too busy pinning Seth down with his eyes.

"Uh...I don't know. Her heart beating, I guess. I hear that."

"Non, fils. What you **feel**."

Seth was quiet for a moment before answering, seeking something from Remy's face. It seemed as though the thief had something on his mind, but Seth wasn't sure what he was seeking. Eager to please his friend, he offered, "I feel her love like a real thing. Is that what you're looking for? Yes, I enjoy what she does to me, but it's more than that. It's real. It makes me feel strong and alive."

"If her love was gone, what would you feel?" Charles asked, having an idea of what Remy was getting at even if Seth didn't.

Seth put his head down and replied with complete honesty, "Nothing. I wouldn't feel anything ever again because I'd want to be dead."

Fallen took his hand and held it to her face, struck by the tone of sadness in his voice.

"Would you try to find another Mistress?" Charles asked, inspired by Seth's melancholy response.

"I am not Seth's Mistress!" Fallen snapped, insulted at the suggestion. Of course she was, but she was uncomfortable with it spoken out loud like that, especially since the title of Master had been so corrupted by what Kimble was going through now.

Charles looked at Seth, willing him to answer the question.

Seth squirmed, uncomfortable with the concept of Fallen being gone.

"What is the point of this, Professor?" Cyclops asked, perplexed. He didn't understand any of this or why it was even relevant. These things were private and personal and shouldn't be spoken of in a room full of people.

"The point of this, Scott, is that while Kimble claimed he didn't want to return because he'd found acceptance elsewhere, I think what he really found was new ownership."

"New ownership?" Cyclops snorted. "That's absurd."

"Is it?" Charles responded, directing it at Seth.

"No," Seth replied softly, keeping his eyes down. "No, it isn't."

Charles turned to the group. "What I have to say may make some of you uncomfortable, but after a long conversation with Remy and some soul searching on my part, I've come up with this. I believe that Kimble takes his being a Courtesan very seriously. It's what he is. On some deep level, he regards himself as a possession and isn't happy unless he belongs to someone. Because his first owner loved him so much, he sees ownership as love. They are the same to him. When Sheyman died, he had no owner and was lost. It was even worse on Station Nine because of the abuse.

"When Fallen resurrected him, he had ownership again, and so found himself loved. He cared for her and now had value. When you arrived here, Fallen, you devoted your time to Seth --"

"But--" she started to protest, but he silenced her with a finger.

"Let me continue, Fallen. This isn't about assigning blame. This is about discovering Kimble's way of thinking. When we understand Kimble, we'll understand why he has done what he has."

Fallen was quiet, but she put her head down.

"When you began your work with Seth, Kimble found himself left on his own. I see now that his getting into trouble was a cry for help. He was seeking someone who would devote themselves to him fully and give him the love he was missing. He was sending out overtures and they were all refused, even from the one he wanted and needed the most."

"Who was that?" Rogue asked, already knowing the answer.

"Me," Gambit answered honestly with a small smile. " 'E and me, we real close 'cause of de files, but it more dan dat. No we ain't ever done nuthin' physical, but Gambit was lookin' after 'im jus' de same."

"How's that?" Rogue was a little put out, feeling jealous.

Remy counted down on his fingers, "Gambit played wit 'im. Gambit danced wit 'im, took 'im out. Gambit was lovin' 'im all de time de rest of you pushed 'im away."

"I didn't push him away!" Fallen continued to protest.

"Non?" Remy asked a little sharply now. "What you do besides ignore 'im all de time?"

"That's not true!"

"What 'is favorite color den?"

"What?"

" 'S simple question, chere."

"Um, I don't know. He likes so many things."

"It's red. What 'is favorite t'ing to drink?" Remy continued to challenge.

"Whiskey."

"Non. It's Coke. What 'is favorite t'ing to eat?"

Fallen was silent.

"Chocolate. Ever since 'is firs' night here. What is' favorite game?"

Fallen refused to answer, but a tear leaked out of one eye.

"You understandin' me now?" Remy asked a little more gently. "Don' be t'inkin' dis is Gambit sayin' dis all your fault cause it ain't. Kimble still went out lookin' for sumptin' 'e wasn't gettin' 'ere, even from me. Dis as much me as you. Gambit wasn't understandin' 'im any better, chere. Gambit was all messed up t'inkin dat Kimble was a fool for some good Cajun lovin' but 'e was lookin' for more dan dat. I let 'im go, just as sure as you. Now Gambit gonna find dis boy, bring 'im 'ome no matter what."

Charles cleared his throat. "The point of all this is that I think Kimble has found new ownership in a most unlikely place. We've been wasting a lot of time chasing down Jael, but we now have good reason to believe Kimble never changed hands after he was taken from Kyle Franks and Cameron Bishop. He has a new Master now."

"Who's that?" Scott asked.

"Sabretooth," Logan answered, speaking for the first time.

Bobby started to laugh until he saw the hard look on Logan's face.

Wolverine stepped up and addressed the crowd. He gave them the run down on the previous night's events, starting with Kimble's phone call. He went through what they had seen and found at Sabretooth's penthouse, going on to speak about what Leon had told them of Kimble's life with the Freedom Kings. Kimble had been melted and couldn't shift. He had received some combat training and had pulled some kind of trick with a sword, a Channeler thing no one could clearly understand yet. It was a powerful weapon, Zander had used it to kill.

Kimble had next been taken by Sabretooth, but not turned over to Jael. Creed was waiting for some reason, biding his time. Wolverine mentioned the tape they had found, but said only that it was of Kimble's being abused. Seth was here and he just didn't want the kid to hear about all that. He could see already the meager facts he'd doled out were upsetting the young Siskan, he was sitting quietly and trying hard not to cry. Logan had no idea Seth already knew and it was the truth that was making him suffer.

Logan finished up. "Creed was hired by Jael ta take Kimble from Kyle. He grabbed this kid, Leon, 'cause he makes the plasma. Kimble's been feedin' off a plasma fer a while now. It changed him somehow. I got reason to think that the plasma makes him high, screws with his head. He was high when we spoke in the warehouse and again with the Cajun on the phone."

Henry interrupted him with a raised hand. "Plasma energy is dangerous to normal Siskan hologram components. It would kill Seth in his present state, but Kimble isn't the same as Seth. He was chemically altered in the Ristle power surge. It's possible he is now receptive to plasma energy on some level, but it may be slowly destroying him. You said he can't shift his skins. That's a clear sign of damage. There's no way to know for sure how bad the damage is without having him here in front of us."

"His inner core can't take the constant heat," Fallen added. "I used high quality components, but that doesn't mean they won't degrade over time. We have to get him away from the plasma, it'll kill him eventually. I have no doubt of this."

Seth squirmed in his chair, not happy. It seemed like Kimble's situation never got any better.

Wolverine nodded, but continued on his own track. He reviewed some of the facts. "Fer some reason, Creed let this Leon kid go. Remy an' me caught up with him and he said Kimble was still with Creed. Creed's got him livin' with him, passin' him around the crew like some kind of fuckin' party favor. Leon said they were callin' him Creed's Whore."

"Jesus..." Cyclops whispered.

"Yeah, only Kimble don't seem to be mindin' too much, even when Creed beats the snot out of him."

"Creed hits him?" Fallen asked, a look of concern on her face. She knew as well as most of them that he shouldn't be able to stand up to the abuse. It never took much to make him cry.

"Creed hits everybody, darlin'. He don't discriminate. Anyhow, it looks like Kimble's got himself a good case of Valentin Syndrome," Logan joked humorlessly back at her. "Somehow he likes it now or somethin'. Leon said he heard Kimble with Creed several times and that Kimble wasn't fighting him and that he thought Kim was actually liking it. Kim was upset that Creed was pissed at him fer callin' Remy. Not just scared at gettin' hurt, but really upset like he didn't want Creed to leave him. Creed's got that boy all bent out of shape."

"Are you telling me Creed's...gay?" Scott couldn't help himself but ask. He just couldn't picture it, not that monster.

"No. He ain't gay. He just gets off on rapin' an killin'. He don't care who it is. I saw what was left of some of his fun and games when we used to work together. He mostly kills off whoever he takes down, but for some reason, he's keepin' Kimble alive."

Remy took a step forward and said, "Gambit's got an idea 'bout dat. I'm t'inkin' mebbe 'e usin' Kimble de way 'e used to use dose telepaths. De ones dat could stop all de screamin' in 'is 'ead. Creed's guys wanted Kim ta give dem de 'glow' just like he done wit de Master. Sound familiar?"

Some of the older crew members nodded, and for the rest, Beast gave a quick review on the time that Sabretooth had stayed here, seeking release from his rages. He didn't go into depth, most of the people who were here had lived through it. He explained how the telepaths could offer temporary help for Creed by altering the chemical imbalance he suffered from, but it had never lasted. Creed was beyond any kind of permanent help, he was much too ill.

"That being the case, is there a way that Kimble could help Sabretooth like that?" Xavier wanted to know. He had an idea already, but was prompting Remy to elaborate. Details on this matter had been withheld from him by the thief. Now was the time to get Gambit to cough up all he knew.

For the first time in front of the whole team, Remy explained how Kimble was using his empathy to help the Siskans who were so gravely ill and in pain back on Siska. "Hayden was usin' im like a drug for de pain. Gambit's t'inkin' mebbe Saby be doin' de same. Leon say dat when Saby was done wit Kimble, 'e look like 'e was high. 'E wasn't 'urtin' him no more. I'm t'inkin' Kimble knew 'xactly what 'e was doin'. 'E brought Saby down to stop de pain from de rape, but it wasn't like didn' get nuthin' out of it." Remy paused here, his hands trembling slightly. He would never get the sight of that tape and Leon's hard words out of his mind. "Leon say Creed kept comin' back for more. Kimble gonna see dat as acceptance, dat he have purpose. Dat 'e have value. He gonna t'ink Creed mebbe love him just a little. If Creed does 'love' Kimble on some level on account of dis backwash, Kimble's gonna know it an' feel it. It'll bind Kimble to Creed."

Warren started to snicker in exasperation. He shook his head and ruffled his feathers a bit. "I think you guys are reaching here. Sabretooth's a monster, incapable of loving anyone."

"Mebbe de Creed we use' to know. Leon say 'e all different now. Kimble changed 'im."

"Creed can't be changed, not fer long," Wolverine said softly. "His beast'll come out and Kimble's gonna pay fer it hard. We gotta get 'im back."

Remy was in full agreement. "D'accorde. Anya say dat Kimble gonna find 'is angel. Dis de one t'ing y'all keep forgettin'. Dis what all of dis is about, de mos' important t'ing, mes amis. Everyt'ing she say gonna 'appen been comin' down just like she promise. Got no reason not to believe dere ain't no truth in dis as well. She say what 'is condition is when he find dat angel matters. P'etetre, de Quitter not so good wit dis angel, eh? We all seen she how violent she is. Zander ain't much better. De Lover's gotta be de one in charge. He's out now, workin' wit Saby. It sucks, but it's also good. We gotta get Kimble now while he's de one in charge. We gotta bring Kimble back so Jael don' get 'is angel and use dat power to 'urt anyone, comprenez? Anya been right 'bout everyt'ing else, got no reason to doubt 'er now. Dis ain't about whether you'all like Kimble or not, it beyond all dat. Anya, she say all dis like mebbe Jael gonna kill a whole lotta people if de bastard get de chance. Gambit would do it for dat reason alone' but 'e don' need it. Gambit let dis boy down. It ain't gonna 'appen again."

"And if Kimble don't wanna come home?" Logan asked knowing the question had to be asked. "He turned ya down once already."

"Gambit's gonna make 'im an offer he won't refuse," Remy said quietly, daring him to argue. "One he mean dis time. I'll be his Master if dat's what he needs to fix all dis. Cameron and Saby done it. Dey walked up and say 'I'm yo' Master' and de fool Kim just dropped down and say 'okay.' If dey done it, I'll do it, too. No more askin', I'll make Kim come 'ome, whatever it takes."

"Excuse me?" Rogue asked sharply, not liking the way this was going. If Remy took Kimble for his Siskan, where did that leave her?

Remy looked up at the group. "When Kimble comes back an' unless he say otherwise, he's mine. I'm de only one dat really knows what's goin' on inside dat boy's head now. Dis is me officially tellin' all of you dat I'm gonna be 'is Master, de one lookin' out fo' 'im an' makin' sure he gets everyt'ing he needs to be right, to be okay again. Anyone got a problem wit dat, speak up."

"You were lookin' out for him before. It didn't work out so good," Rogue challenged.

Remy squared off with her, his grin less than pleasant. "Bien entendu. Dat's 'cause Gambit had 'is priorities confused. Dat ain't a problem no more."

Rogue froze, her face flushing. She didn't want to hear what he was saying, but wasn't about to make a scene in front of the group. He was telling her they were all done, that she had been the one in the way. She was being dismissed, he had made his choice and it wasn't her.

"**Kimble will know it if you don't mean it for real,**" Seth said in his soft Siskan, turning Gambit's head. **"****I would." **

"**Mebbe Gambit does." **

Seth smiled sadly, shaking his head.** "****No you don't. You don't understand possession. Not like this. Not like Kimble will want. You made that offer when you thought he could still shift, right? That he would be a woman for you. He can't do that now. He'll want you as a man and you can't do it. You won't own him the way he wants." **

"**Stop it!"** Fallen hissed, rising. **"****I won't hear talk of this. No one owns anybody!" **

"What's going on?" Bobby complained. It was so unfair that Remy was the only one who could speak Siskan.

Gambit stood and sighed, his hands on his hips while he met Seth's knowing eyes. **"****I'll do what I have to fix my mistakes. Kimble's comin' home**, mon petit fils. **Dat's one promise Gambit will keep." **

Seth dropped his eyes and said nothing more. It was so difficult to sort all of this out. These feelings swamped him, some of which he didn't understand. Gambit's body spoke to him of love, of a love for Kimble that was pure and strong, intensely real. But it existed on a another level than where Kimble's heart lay. Gambit might possess Kimble, become his Master in a feeble attempt to save him, but he would never lay with him. Seth didn't think it would be enough to keep Kimble here and heal him. He himself was a living fragment of Kimble's mind, a part of Kimble's ability to love that had been stolen from him. He vaguely wondered if his true name wasn't Seth at all, but "Kimble's Happiness". It seemed as though his brother had never been truly happy, not since he'd been ripped from the system and left to flounder on his own. A tear escaped him at the thought of Kimble's pain, it was always too easy for him to lose control.

"Mon fils, don' do dat," Remy said softly, cupping Seth's chin to raise his eyes. His thumb wiped the tear away. **"Gambit understands more dan you t'ink." **

"**You're going to help him. Make him well again. No one else can do it because they don't love him like we do." **

"**I'll do whatever I have to put all dis back to rights, I promise."** Remy readdressed the crowd. "Anyone else? 'Fessor?"

"No, I do not object. It's been made clear to me long ago that the two of you are bonded. You will be needed to help him once he returns."

"Fallen?"

"No one should own anybody. I don't own Seth."

"Kimble needs a Master, he been screamin' it an' no one's been listenin'. You gonna fight me on dis?" Remy asked, not backing down. He was asking her since Kimble had been in her possession when they had arrived, it was only polite.

Seth gave her a nudge and whispered up at her in Siskan.

She frowned, but said, "No. I won't fight you over him. If you say you love him that much, then take him. Better luck than me." Her face was tight with hurt and anger but she stayed as she was.

Scott scowled, not understanding. He would never be comfortable with all of this emotional crap. "That's nice, but he's not here. So what's the plan?"

"De plan? Gambit's gonna steal 'im back. No more goin' in guns blazin'. Gambit's gonna hunt Saby down, take back what's mine."

"Kimble's not yours, he's not anybody's," Scott challenged again. He was in agreement with Fallen that no one possessed anybody and didn't like what Remy was saying. Scott perceived Kimble as sick, as mentally ill. It seemed as though poor deluded Remy had no problem indulging Kimble's perverted beliefs.

Gambit just gave him an arrogant, cocky smile, putting this idiot in his place. "He is mine, an' I will bring 'im home. Count on it." He snorted and walked out, shutting the door behind him. He'd said all he needed to and was finished now.

Seth watched him go, uncertain.

"If getting Kimble home is that important, I say give Remy free rein," Karen said speaking for the first time.

"How's that, darlin'?" Wolverine said, curious what she was after.

She smiled at him. "Well, for all his posturing, I think it's very clear Remy's relationship with Kimble is quite deep. If he's confident he can turn Kimble's head enough to bring him home, I say let him do as he wants. We can work out the rest of it once Kimble is here. He has both Remy and Seth here." she said, giving Kimble's brother a nod. "It will be enough. Think of Kimble as one of those guys lost to a cult. Most times, once you get them away from the source of the corruption, they can be healed if they are given enough love and understanding."

"I agree," the Professor said. "I can't emphasize enough here that once Kimble comes home, we will have to be very accommodating, more than we were before. He can't be allowed to wander off. The stakes would appear to be much higher than before."


	8. Chapter 8

(Eight)

After the others had filed out, only Logan, Karen and the Professor remained. Henry had been sent to return the thief and Remy came in as commanded. He hadn't gone far when he walked out before, he had gone to get a soda and was smoking out in the hallway. He didn't sit at the table now but walked to the back of the room to lean against the far wall, not eager to participate. He knew this was going to be an ass chewing for the fight he and Logan'd had that morning and quite honestly didn't want to hear it. He didn't expect his grievances to be resolved here, they hadn't any time before.

Logan wasn't much happier. He was still in his seat at the large meeting table and was cloudy and sullen. He wasn't warmed by the presence of Karen here. In this place and setting, she was as much a hunter as the Professor. The two of them wanted facts and Wolverine had serious doubts he was going to make it out of here without having to spill his guts. He would be forced to confess his secrets.

The Professor looked at the two men, his two most secretive and rebellious charges. He loved them both and understood how each one was tormented by their demons, but things couldn't continue like this. He started by saying, "As you know, I've given both of you a lot of latitude in dealing with your differences, but I'm certain I don't have to say that violence like I witnessed today cannot be allowed."

He waited for the usual sputtering of excuses, but both of them were oddly quiet.

"Clearly, the two of you have issues here that must be addressed. We will get to the bottom of this, gentlemen. This trouble ends now. I have asked Karen to mediate and help the two of you get this worked out. Where it seems Remy has something of a rightful grievance, the balance of this matter weighs on you, Logan. I think it's time you told us what happened in the warehouse."

Remy's eyebrows arched, he hadn't expected the Professor to acknowledge any wrongdoing on Logan's part, it would be like speaking for Kimble. It was a welcome surprise.

"That's between Kim an' me," Wolverine replied stubbornly. He wasn't about to confess to anything readily, certainly not in front of Karen. His dark secret was his and his alone.

Karen looked at Remy. "You have anything to offer? You seem to have some information on this matter that you've withheld."

"Dis Wolvie boy's trouble. Gambit knows what it is, not dat dis fucker gave it up easy," Remy said, his bitter tone betraying remaining hidden anger.

"Why didn't you mention it before?" the Professor asked, trying to ignore the blast of heat that came from Wolverine's smouldering eyes.

"Not my secret to tell, 'Fessor. Simple as dat."

"All these secrets have caused us all a lot of pain lately. The two of you should be mindful of that. I hope you will consider cooperating with Karen, Logan. Since some of Kimble's damage is at your hands, here is a chance to make up for it," the Professor said sternly, his disappointment at the stubbornness of his two Outer Circle students clearly causing him pain and frustration.

Remy moved to a service table in the back of the room and started to make a pot of coffee. He turned his back on the others, giving them space.

"Talk to me, Logan," Karen said softly.

"Can I smoke?" Logan asked as an excuse to think. He wouldn't look at the Professor.

"Sure," she replied, placing a paper cup with some water in it for him to use as an ashtray. She generally hated when he smoked, thinking it a vile habit, but was eager to make this easier for him. She had an idea that he was going to spill, she just had to be patient and understanding. She was grateful when the Professor didn't argue about it, it was policy that no one could smoke during meetings.

"You remember that winter 'bout six year back when I took off up t' Canada fer no reason?" Logan began softly. He kept his eyes down, watching his cigarette burn.

"Yes," the Professor answered. He was the only one in the room who would know. This was well before Gambit had joined up. "You never told us why, only that you had experienced some sort of breakdown. You had lost control and killed someone. Someone who had hurt you badly."

"It was this guy, Crazy John. He ain't in yer computer so don' bother lookin' it up." Wolverine continued, still not looking at anyone, he was speaking to the table. "He was just another crazy with a point to make. I've been out in the playin' field a long time, boys an' girls. I got enemies I don' even know who they are. That's what I figured this guy was. Just some stupid crazy. He would be like all the others and sooner or later he would babble on an' get around ta tellin' me how I fucked him over or some such thing.

"Turns out, I never met this guy. He heard 'bout me from someone else, maybe Creed. He woulda fit right in with Victor's bunch, that's fer sure. He caught me on an off night, pumped me full 'a shit so I couldn't fight an' dumped me in the back of his truck. It was kinda embarrassin' actually, how easily he took me down, but, hey, I won't ever claim ta be perfect.

"Anyways, he brung me ta his loft. It was huge...big an' quiet. Perfect fer what he had in mind. Guess I knew I was in trouble when I saw all the cameras he had rigged up. Most guys just chain me up and whack away, y'know? He...he brought me in and...an' he lay me down on this table...face down."

Logan's fingers began to tremble and he paused, trying to maintain his control. He was strong. He was a rock. He couldn't possibly be talking about this. The only thing driving him was the guilt. He'd seen Kimble's break happen and was responsible for some of it. He closed his eyes and smoked, nodding when Remy set a cup of hot coffee in front of him. "Thanks."

"No problem, mon ami," Remy said quietly and withdrew back to the rear of the room. He sat at the far end of the long table and lit up his own cigarette, keeping quiet.

Logan sipped his coffee and smoked, thinking of how best to say this. "He tied me down and pumped me full of more junk, some kind of narcotic. I think it was horse tranquilizers, but I couldn't be sure. Somethin' real strong. With my healing factor, I didn't really get trashed, just immobilized. I was awake the whole time, but couldn't get loose. He started out whippin' me with a belt, laughin' away. I sat back and just went for the ride, I mean, what could I do about it, right? Sooner or later he would fuck up an' I'd beat the shit out of him and go home, the usual dance.

"Well, he got bored with the belt when I wouldn't scream and went on to the whole burnin' me with cigarettes thing. That didn't work out so well either so he shot me and I still wouldn't scream so he tried cuttin' off my fingers. The dumb fuck didn't even know about the metal in my bones --- what a dope --- so he gave up on that an' started pacin'. He says, 'What if I setcha on fire?', and I said, 'Well, ol' Victor done that ta me two years ago an' I'm still here, stupid. Gonna hafta do better'n that.' Guess the only stupid one there was me, 'cause all of a sudden he got this look his in his eyes. I knew I was in for it then, but I figured whatever it was I could take it, cause it's all been done ta me, right? Jesus..."

Logan put his cigarette in the cup of water and covered his face with his hands, leaning over the table and resting on his elbows. Karen rubbed his shoulder, but he didn't feel it. He just kept talking numbly, wanting to be so done with this so he could go get drunk and forget about it.

"He come over an'...an' he untied my legs so he could spread 'em apart. I was kickin' around then, havin' some idea of what was gonna happen, but I was too doped up to put up a decent fight. I wasn't too doped up not to know what...what he was doin' ta me. I uesta think that when they took me... when they crammed all this metal inta me without askin'...that... that was the worst way my body could be...violated. I was wrong."

"Did he rape you?" the Professor asked softly.

"Yes," Wolverine replied, his voice breaking a little. He was still hiding behind his hands. "I lost it. He was stupid an' let the drugs run too low an' I lost it. I got loose an' I killed him... Horrible... Horrible... I done it real slow, makin' him scream twice fer every howl he brung outta me when he was doing...**that**...to me. I ripped him up, tore off his arms...his legs... God, Victor woulda been so proud of me..." he trailed off, shaking now. He could hear the inner beast howling now and he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to keep it down.

"It's all right, Logan. Your response, though extreme, is understandable," the Professor soothed.

"No...no it ain't. I liked it, Chuck," he said, taking his hands down so he could look his mentor in the eyes. "I liked it when I was rippin' him apart. What I done ta him...it wasn't painless...not quick like I usually am. I only stopped when there wasn't nuthin' left ta shred. I smashed all the cameras and burned the place down to the ground. There wasn't nuthin' left. No one was ever gonna know what happened ta me."

"But Kimble found out," Karen said.

"When I see rapin'...it's all I can think of. What was done ta me," Wolverine said, ignoring her statement. He wasn't ready to go there yet. "When I see Kimble an' the things he does--"

"Kimble never raped nobody," Remy interrupted in Kimble's defense. He had been quiet the whole time Wolverine was telling his horrific tale. It contrasted sharply with the experience he'd shared with Young Kimble in the Siskan pleasure room. Yes, Remy had been there against his will, but the event had been highly pleasurable, something he'd kept to himself. He had never considered it a rape although technically it could've been called that. What Logan had gone through wasn't any better than what he'd seen Kimble go through on the tape.

"That's not true," Logan barked, squinting a little. His pain was replaced with stubbornness at Remy's confrontation and he was grateful for the distraction.

"When?" Remy snapped bitterly, opening his arms in a challenge. "Dere ain't no way Kimble woulda done dat to nobody. Dat's against de rules. Kimble's rules."

"Well his rules got changed. I mean, he wasted all those guys on Nine an' he wasn't supposed to be able to do that either."

"When was this? The rape," the Professor asked, quietly alarmed.

Logan answered, "He was foolin' around with Bobby, usin' his "charm power" or some such on 'im. Me an' Jeannie walked in on 'em an' broke it up."

"When was this? Bobby said nothing about it."

"It was the third day since we come back from Cerise. Bobby was probably too embarrassed to say anything. Kimble was all over him. He changed his skin into a girl and was pawin' him up in the gym. If we hadn't walked in, Kimble woulda had him all the way. I asked Bobby if he wanted it and he said no. He was all freakin' out about it, beggin' us not ta say anything so I jus' let it go."

"So Kimble had trouble here right from the start?"

"Yeah."

"So what did you do to 'im, homme?" Remy asked with obvious malice. "You wouldn't let Kimble go wit'out runnin' off your mouth."

"I didn' say nuthin'. He said he wanted some company, I said go find it somewhere else, an' he ran off. That's it. Apparently he didn't listen too good 'cause the next day he was all over Holly."

"Dat's when Kimble really start ta slide," Remy said to Karen. "After 'Olly, Seth say he 'eard Kimble arguin' wit his'self and lookin' all wrecked like 'e done on de Dragon on de way 'ere."

"Why did Kimble's behavior upset you so much?" Karen asked Wolverine. "It sounds like he didn't actually rape anybody."

"Only 'cause I was there ta stop it. He was seducin' 'em with his power. He was takin' without askin'. That's rape enough fer me."

"**Junta bay,**" Remy said softly but with enough strength to get Karen's attention.

"What did you say?"

"Takin' wit'out askin'. Dat's **junta bay**. De worse' evil in de world. Breakin' de rules. 'Is father make 'im promise never t' take wit'out consent 'cause dat was de worse t'ing a Courtesan could do. T'ing is, Kimble ain't got no 'charm power', comprenez? It's 'is empathy an 'e can't control it. 'E don't do it on purpose."

"How do you know this?" the Professor wanted to know.

Gambit shrugged. "Gambit knows. When we share de files, Kim took 'im for a little ride. I seen firs' hand 'ow dis power works. He don' really control it, it jus' kinda 'appens. He needs de love so badly 'cause it heals 'im. When 'e wants like dat, it jus' consumes 'im. He reach out wit 'is need, wit 'is mind. It jus' appens. It ain't no deliberate t'ing. Not fo' cruelty. Not fo' 'urtin'. Gambit knows what it's like ta need...to need so much an' 'ave nuthin' to 'old on to, oui. His pain is Gambit's pain, Gambit knows 'cause he been where Kimble is now. Dat great big empty hole in 'is heart, it 'urts like nuthin' else. It's cold...cold like ice," he ended softly and shivered unconsciously as his body remembered the desolation of Antarctica. He had said more than he had intended and turned away, embarrassed.

"I can see why you and Kimble have the bond that you do," Karen said. "You are both very sensitive and aware of the feelings of others."

Logan snorted. "Please!"

"Logan," the Professor said sharply. "This is not the time."

"You don't get it, do you?" Karen said, getting Logan's attention. "You all deal with your emotions differently. Kimble lays it all out, Remy pretends not to notice he has them, and you just bury them all inside like they aren't real. No one is any position to judge anyone else here."

Wolverine shook his head and lit another cigarette, clearly in disagreement.

"While all of this is enlightening, we still haven't gotten around to why we are here in the first place. What happened in the warehouse, Logan?" the Professor demanded.

Logan fiddled with the makeshift paper cup ashtray. "It was the same thing... I was all strung up. They took a crowbar ta me an' I was all cut up."

Karen couldn't help but shudder a little. She couldn't get over Logan's eerie calm about discussing the ways these different people had hurt him so badly. Beaten with a belt? Set on fire? A crowbar? Funny how it was the rape that made him almost cry. It would have been the least physically painful, but the most personal of attacks.

Logan gave her a look of malicious cruelty, her punishment for making him do this. "It's okay, darlin'. After the first two or three hits, ya jus' don' feel nuthin' no more. Life's funny that way."

"Logan, please," the Professor pleaded gently. He knew this was awful for Wolverine, but this had to be done.

"Well, Kimble come up on me. I was in pretty bad shape, they'd just finished and I didn't have much time ta really heal up. I was...sufferin' an' I guess he thought he could help me."

"Dat's not what you was t'inkin' at de time, I'll bet," Remy snapped, knowing what Logan was going to say next. "You was all laughin' 'bout it wit me, but Gambit knows you musta been madder dan a trapped rat when 'e touched you."

Logan glared at his Cajun team mate.

"How did Kimble touch you?" Karen asked carefully.

"He kissed me and I bit his face," he said stiffly with a snarl.

"Kimble need de contact for 'is empathy t' work. 'E touch to take de pain of others," Remy said quickly, trying to excuse the behavior of his wayward friend.

"What's that? He can take people's pain?"

"Oui, jus' like 'e done wit de Siskans dat were sick. Jus' like 'e's doin' wit Creed."

"What happened next?" Karen prodded.

"I said I knew what he was all about...how he used people. He gave me all of his stupid excuses, sayin' how he don' take without askin'."

"An' you corrected 'im, neh?" Remy snapped, still on the defensive. "You set him real straight, I'll bet. What a pal."

Logan was quiet.

"Dat's great, jus' great. You tell a Siskan Courtesan 'e a rapist. Dat's real fine. Baiser abruti!"

"Remy," Charles cautioned. He may not know much French, but he was a telepath. He would understand "fucking asshole" in any language when the speaker was telegraphing such malice.

"Non. Gambit sees dis real clear, y'all. Zander, he ain't suppose' ta kill, but 'e do it anyway. De Lover, he **need **so badly he have to steal it, now he a rapist. Lakotashay, her name spell it all out. A little girl named Dog Shit. She **junta bay**, just like de sign on 'er neck. All dese t'ings, dey against de programmin'. Dat's why he shatter."

Logan growled in anger. "He came up on me while he thought I was still out. He still made the first play, Cajun. I just made him see what he was doin', that's all. I know he's yer friend an' all, but the guy's got no control an' he's dangerous!"

"Kimble's not dangerous. Not to anyone who treat 'im decent. All 'e ever wanted from you was respect ---an' you never gave it to 'im! Not once!"

"That's not true!"

"Yes it is!" Remy snarled, getting the final word. "He came to you to 'elp you, take away your sufferin'. All dis time Gambit's been tellin' you 'ow 'e is, but you never listen. You got your mind all made up about 'im an' dere ain't no changin' it. He try to 'elp you an' you call 'im a rapist. Dat's some real cold cold shit," Remy said, shaking his head. He was so tired, so tired of everything. Maybe he should just leave. He could find Kimble on his own, given enough time. He could find Kimble and they would just go somewhere far, far away from here.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with Logan on at least part of this, Remy," the Professor said. "Kimble clearly shows a lack of control and poor judgement."

"Non. You all judge 'im by 'is outside. Everybody does. You, Fallen, de Siskans. Valentin. Everybody, 'cept me. Gambit knows 'is inside. Gambit know 'ow big 'is poor broken heart is. Now de only one who t'inks 'e's good for anyt'ing is dat no good fuck up Creed. Look what Kimble done, his need is so great, he take dat encule de mere...dat monster fo' 'is Master. Dat's why 'e let Saby beat 'im up, why 'e takes what dat asshole does to 'im. Even if Gambit brings dat boy home, he still gonna be fucked up, 'cause of all of you and yo' damn stupid intolerance. De only way to fix Kimble is to forgive 'im. Forgive 'im for all he done an' accept 'im just as he is. Too bad none of yous got de brass ta do it."

"It will take more than just forgiveness, Remy. But it's a start," Karen said. "I think we should all just take a break now and think about what was said here today. I know I don't have to say all of this is strictly confidential and won't leave this room."

" 'Ey, de Professor dere say Gambit don' ever say nuthin' even when 'e should, d'accord? Gambit ain't gonna tell nobody," Remy said bitterly, rising.

"Good. Please try not to let this come between you, boys. I mean that. We've all suffered here and recriminations and anger aren't going to help anyone."

Remy paused and took a deep breath, calming down. He walked over to Logan and boldly held his hand out. "Peace?" It was a challenge.

Logan stood, grinning at him in an angry sneer and shook it, at the very least being careful of the thief's damaged fingers.

"Boys," Karen complained. "C'mon, now."

"I never meant ta break yer toy," Logan said honestly. It would be the closest Remy would get to an apology.

"I never meant ta let 'im off 'is leash. Won' 'appen again."

"That's better," Karen said, giving them both a squeeze, making them roll their eyes in exasperation. "Now, before you two run off and get drunk like fools, let's go have some supper and make nice. I bought some nice steaks."

"You cook spicy?" Remy asked with a playful grin.

"I can cook for anybody. Let's go find out."

They all walked out together and up to the kitchen. The conversation was subdued but peaceful and when they finished, they went their separate ways. Remy walked off towards the rec room, already knowing it was time for X-files and counting on Molly to be there waiting. He was tired inside and out and really needed her company right now. He could hear the sound of the television there and couldn't hide a smile of happiness when she turned to look up at him.

Logan paired off with Karen, no longer needing that drink. They went up to her room for some hands on recovery time. It was the best treatment for his pain that she could have to offer and he was grateful.

The Professor sat back and watched them go, happy. He used his mental eye to track them, sensing their presences easily without invading their minds. He felt that things had resolved themselves reasonably, much better than if Karen hadn't been there. He alone would never have gotten Logan to talk, he knew that. It gave him some hope that Kimble would get straightened out if and when they managed to recover him.


	9. Chapter 9

(Nine)

The next day, Victor Creed woke from a most marvelous sleep. It was well into the afternoon, late for him, but this was a not a working day. He could have cared less. The bed beside him was empty, yet he wasn't concerned. He knew Kimble was a light sleeper and restless. He scratched his belly, content. It had been a good decision coming here. It had been a while since he'd been here and was ready to enjoy a few days of peace and quiet. He rose and dressed in a loose pair of jeans before shuffling out into the kitchen.

Mary was there sitting at the table, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. She had always been an early riser and she had showered and dressed already. In fact, he could see she had gone into town to buy some bagels and muffins. The coffee was fresh, just made and smelled wonderful.

Victor looked around him and scowled when Kimble was nowhere in sight. The cabin wasn't so large it had places to hide. "Where's Kim?"

"Outside playing in the snow," Mary replied without looking up from her paper. It was a mistake.

Creed grabbed her hair, roughly hauling her to her feet and gave her a brutal slap to the face. "What kind of moron are you? You can't let him out of your sight!"

Creed was still paranoid about Jael tracking them, there were no guarantees of their safety even in this remote place. Jael was powerful, he had spies everywhere. On top of that, he still had some lingering concerns about Kimble's loyalties. He didn't really know if Kimble would run away or not now that Leon was no longer a hostage. Sabretooth had reacted without thinking, his anger robbing him of his senses. He needed the backwash, was indeed quite addicted, and wasn't about to let his supplier go wandering off into the snowy woods.

Mary reeled and slumped in her chair when Victor rudely dumped her back into her seat. "What's the big deal? You know he won't go anywhere!" she gasped, shocked that he had actually struck her. He hadn't done that before outside of having sex.

He slapped at her again. "Jael's still out there, girlie! Tell me you ain't that stupid!"

Mary gasped and sobbed, she couldn't help it. The blows had been painful and unexpected. She hadn't anticipated there would be any trouble over this, Kimble appeared to be well trained and didn't seem the wandering type. It had never occurred to her that Jael would come looking, certainly not to this far away place.

Creed didn't wait for her answer. He looked through the window, but all he could see was trampled snow from this viewpoint. Kimble had been having quite the little romp outside but there was no sign of him anywhere now. He snarled and grabbed his coat. He shoved his bare feet into some boots and slammed the door on his way out.

-----------------

Kimble hadn't gone far at all, it was just that he couldn't be seen from the window. He had bundled up in one of Creed's large coats and had been having himself a grand time. He had started out romping and running about, bunny hopping in the deeper drifts of snow. It was cold and made him shiver, but he had never been more thrilled. It brought back such memories of father, Lakotashay was beside herself with glee.

Kimble'd had some of his memories restored, but he didn't remember everything that had happened to him since he'd been created, not by far. However, he did recall most of the glorious adventure he'd had when his creator, Sheyman, had squirreled him out of the Siskan castle and taken him on a day trip up to the mountains. It was the one and only other time Kimble had experienced snow like this. What an amazing day of fun that had been. Like today, he had tromped through the deep snow, wallowing in it and having snowball fights with Sheyman. Everything with Kimble was about playtime and having fun, he'd known no greater bliss than that day of joy.

When up on the mountain, he and Sheyman had built a magnificent castle from snow. The memory of that enjoyable task inspired him to do it again. He had gone back into the house and taken a blanket to spread out so he wasn't sitting in the snow itself while he played. He was having a grand time, he had used his artistic and telekinetic ability to construct another elaborate castle out of snow. This one was much nicer than the one he and his Father had built, he hadn't possessed any telekinetic ability at the time he'd lived with Sheyman. It made him a little sad to think that he was so different now. Would Sheyman even know him now? Would he still be able to love them anymore? He didn't quite think so.

------------------

Creed was only a few paces away, paused in wonder at the beautiful thing his servant had made. Kimble wasn't waiting for his praise, he had no idea his Master was near. No, he was muttering away to himself, having a nice three way conversation all alone.

"This castle come out good, Kim," Zander was saying. It was odd for him to praise Kimble for anything, but this creation was magnificent. It had towers and walkways and even some banner flags he'd made from leaves. No ordinary human could build such a thing without hours of trial and effort, but Kimble had made it in less than an hour.

Kimble giggled like a little kid, easily pleased by the compliment. He was thrilled it had come out so well. Perhaps the Master would be impressed. "I likes it all right."

"It looks like where we used to live with father," Lakotashay commented, popping out.

Kimble's shoulders slumped a little. "I miss father."

"Me, too," 'Shay replied. "We could go see him again, Kim. It would be so easy."

Kimble looked in dull amazement as a spike formed in his hand, long and jagged. He said nothing, but just looked at it blankly.

"Father's in the light," Lakotashay continued to coax. "He said he would be waitin' fer us."

"We cain't go back ta see him no more," Kimble said sadly, his shoulders slumping even more. "We ain't good enough fer him. Not him, not nobody. We're broken, ruined. No good fer nuthin'. We broke all the rules. He wouldn't want us no more."

"That's not true. Father always loves us."

Kimble shook his head. "We kill, we rape, we use the phone...we hurt evrabody what ever loved us. If we gos back.. we'll hurts him, too. It jus' keeps happ'nin."

**_We done a bad thing..._** the tiny pilot child confessed from within, a small haunting voice.

Kimble shuddered and a tear fell. His good mood had evaporated under the spell of the Quitter and she was filling him up with her gloom, making him feel sad and depressed.

Creed stood still listening to this, not quite sure what to do. He thought perhaps he should interrupt, haul Kimble's ass back inside the house, but he was curious about who this mysterious father was. Kimble had never mentioned him before.

"It won't happen, Kim," 'Shay promised, pressing on. "See this castle, I jus' bet father's gots one jus' like it in the light. It wuz so nice there. C'mon, Kim, do it. Set us free."

"I cain't..." Kimble said, starting to cry now.

Lakotashay felt his indecision and was all over it. "C'mon, Lover. Just do it, no one will know. Set us free. Do it! Do it now!"

"NO!" Kimble shouted and struck out violently at the castle he had made. He stabbed at it with the spike, killing it. So stupid of him to have made it. "It's all gone! Father is gone! Siska is gone! Remy is gone! Seth is gone! Fallen, too! We ain't nuthin' no more! Fuckin' garbage! Fuckin' Siskan filth no good fer nuthin' is what we are! No Master will ever want us again, we're so evil an' broken! **Junta bay! Junta bay!**" Kimble shouted, stabbing at the castle with each and every word. He believed most of it. Life was good with the Master, but they were too far gone to live with anyone else. Just the fact that Lakotashay had cum so hard after being beaten by the belt was enough to convict them all.

"Than jus' end it, Kim! Finish this!" the Quitter demanded.

Sabretooth took one step forward, certain Kimble was going to give in to her, it was in the outpouring of grief and self loathing that had come from Kimble's mouth. He disliked hearing Kimble speak about himself this way. Now more than ever it was imperative that Kimble not be left alone. He paused when Zander came out in a huff, silencing everyone.

"Quit yer fuckin' shit!" Zander said, finalizing the matter by creating a large clump of spikes and sending them down in a group to obliterate what was left of the castle. Kimble jumped back in surprise, barely dodging them. The spike he held in his hand went flying, no longer a threat. "Both of yous jus' shut up! The only thing we gots ta do is git our ass outta here! There's four of us now thanks ta 'Shay and the Master's belt! The new guy ain't so strong just yet, but just wait! Jus' wait! How many more of us does there gots ta be 'fore we shatter so hard there ain't nuthin' left of us!"

Kimble doubled over in pain and sobbed. He clutched his belly and rocked, so sorry he had come out here. He should have stayed in bed where he was warm and happy with his Master's body beside him.

"We have to go, Kim. There's help out there. We gots to get to a phone," Zander said, lowering his voice to a more convincing tone.

Kimble jumped back in terror, forcing Creed to retreat to maintain his surveillance without being noticed. Kimble began to hyperventilate hysterically and sputter, "No phone! No phone! Cain't! Cain't! No phone!"

Sabretooth had heard enough. He stomped over and grabbed his servant, shaking him roughly. He wanted to hear no more plans for escape, for running away. He yanked Kimble's head back. "Who gave ya permission to go outside, Kim!"

"M-Mary!" Kimble blurted out in terror and surprise, responding immediately to the question even though he was shocked by Creed's sudden appearance. He was so busted. He hadn't done anything wrong that he knew of exactly, but here was the Master all pissed off at him again. He began to shake so hard it was hard for Creed to keep his grip.

"Is she yer Master or me?" There was no mistaking the threat in his voice. One hand strayed to the buckle of his belt.

Kimble didn't answer, his eyes rolled back and he fainted. The terror was more than he could handle, the belt lashing looming as a certainty. Sabretooth looked down at the limp body in his grip in surprise. That he had not expected. He growled with impatience and scooped up the pilot into his arms, carrying him back into the house. He entered and tossed the unconscious pilot down on the couch.

Sabretooth looked up into Mary's eyes, seeing her fear. She just knew she was going to be blamed for whatever must have happened and wanted no more pain. She took a defensive step back and raised her fists, both of them glowing faintly orange.

Creed wasn't afraid. He said, "From now on, he don't get left alone, not for a second. If it happens again, I'll shoot you dead, girlie. Mark my words."

She glared at him, but waited to see if he was going to lash out at her again.

He grunted at her. "I'm cold, I'm fuckin' wet. I'm gonna have a shower. When I get out, I want some food on that table and Kimble cleaned up. You understandin' me?"

Mary trembled, deciding. There was never a better time to make her exit than now, that's what he was really saying. She was about to speak, to give him her official notice and walk out that door when Kimble groaned, interrupting their confrontation. He rolled over and curled up tight, crying. He was upset and it pained Mary to see it. "What happened to him?" Mary asked, her voice still tight with anger.

"He was left alone. It ain't gonna happen no more."

Kimble's sobs ripped through her ice cold heart, finding purchase. "Yes, boss."

The tension evaporated instantly in the room as Creed backed off and went silently to his bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He stepped into the shower, blasting his body with heat. He was so angry...he was furious! He wanted so much to lash out at Kimble for even thinking about deserting him. The only thing staying his hand was what Zander had said, Kimble had broken even further and he'd had a hand in it. If he whipped Kimble again, his toy was sure to collapse. The fainting alone was enough to frighten him a little. Just the threat of that kind of punishment had been too much for the Siskan. How was he going to ensure Kimble wouldn't take off?

His feeble brain began to work. _What does Kimble respond to?_

_Kindness and affection. _Those times he had reached out and touched were the ones where he had seen clearly on the pilot's face his joy and rapture. Perhaps his way to enforce Kimble's compliance was not one of violence, but rather gentleness and caring. This was a difficult thing for him, he knew, and wasn't sure he was even capable of it. But the payoff... He needed the backwash. He had to have it. The concept of earning things was not beyond him. Perhaps some effort here might prove fruitful.

He finished and dressed, warm and comfortable again when he finally walked out to join his crew. Mary had put some food out for him and Kimble was now in front of the fire, wrapped in a blanket and hunched over quiet. He jerked when he heard the Master come, but didn't dare look him in the eyes. Creed went to the table and grabbed his plate, giving Mary a nod. Her eye was blackened on one side and her lip was split, but there was enough submission in her eyes to satisfy him. He went over to the fire and stood over his Siskan. "Kim."

Kimble looked up, his eyes begging for mercy and his body trembling once more. "Yes, Master?"

"You don't go nowhere on yer own."

"Yes, Master."

"You even speak about usin' the phone again --" Creed was forced to stop when Kimble's body gave a frightful shudder and the tears streamed from his eyes. Kimble's mouth opened but nothing coherent made it out, he was much too terrified. Creed placed a finger to his lips and the pilot silenced himself immediately, having learned early on what that command was. "You even speak of usin' the phone again and the belt is comin' fer you."

Kimble threw himself down on the floor, covering his head and sobbing quietly into the rug. He expected the blows to fall, the beating to begin in earnest, but the only thing that came down on him was his Master's gentle hand. Creed had set his plate down and crouched down next to him. He tugged on Kimble and the pilot came up to him, falling into his arms, garbling a plea for forgiveness. He squeezed his Master impossibly tight. "It ain't me what wants ta go ...it ain't me...I'm so sorry!"

Creed didn't say anything. He was teetering on the edge of anger. How could he get this creature to submit when there was a fucking committee running around in there? Creed let Kimble squeeze him, feeling his servant's sincere regret, it was coming off of him in a powerful wave. That and his fear, his fear that Creed would leave him. As much as Zander spoke of escape, the Lover wished only to remain.

Sabretooth said nothing more, but eased the pilot's grip on him just enough so he could sit back and eat. Kimble calmed and remained close, happy that he hadn't been beaten. More than that was Creed's conditional forgiveness. If he was good, the Master would be kind. He smiled, happy now as the tears dried up on his cheeks. Maybe his wish would come true, the one where the Master no longer beat him, but spoke to him in kindness and petted him and loved him and kissed him for real. Just this one small victory of not being whipped or abused made his spirits soar.

It did little for Zander. He paced in the circle of light, not so naive as the Lover. The beatings would never stop, not from this guy. No, the Punisher would just have to try harder, find better ways to bend the Lover to his will. They would get out of here, they would get back home.

To be continued in A Cajun Vacation.


End file.
